Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 3 to 5, 2006

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 3 to 5, 2006
Start: 2006-02-03T17:55
End: 2006-02-05T04:55
Location: Alaska

February 3 to 5, 2006 · NWS AFG · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

A large storm moving slowly north over Bristol Bay brought increasing northeast winds to the outer west coast of Alaska. High Winds occurred at: Zone 213: Gambell AWOS: gust to 53 knots (62 mph).

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.

A large storm moving slowly north over Bristol Bay brought increasing northeast winds to the outer west coast of Alaska. Blizzard conditions likely occurred at Zone 213 - Tin City AWOS.Extreme Wind Chills occurred at: Zone 213: Tin City AWOS: -80 F; Zone 201: Point Lay AWOS -65 F.High Winds occurred at: Zone 213: Gambell AWOS: gust to 53 knots (62 mph).

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 3, 2:32 PM AST, 3 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 3, 2:32 PM AST, 3 hours 23 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
232 PM AST FRI FEB 3 2006

.DISCUSSION...

ALOFT...CLOSED LOW OVER EASTERN RUSSIA WILL MOVE FURTHER WEST OVER
RUSSIA THROUGH SUN. TROUGH FROM LOW WILL DISSIPATE OVER THE
WESTERN INTERIOR BY SAT AFTERNOON. RIDGE WILL BUILD NORTH OUT OF THE
GULF OF ALASKA SAT. AXIS OF RIDGE WILL EXTEND FROM THE EASTERN GULF
TO THE MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY AND TO NEAR KOTZEBUE SOUND LATE SAT
AFTERNOON. THE AXIS WILL BE WELL EAST OF THE ALCAN BORDER SUN
MORNING. SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL COVER ALL OF NORTHERN ALASKA SAT THEN
WILL DIMINISH OVER THE WEST COAST SUN BUT CONTINUE OVER THE EAST
HALF OF NORTHERN ALASKA INTO MON. LOW PRESSURE WILL ROTATE FROM
SOUTHWEST ALASKA SUN NIGHT TO NORTHEAST ALASKA MON NIGHT.

SURFACE...RAPIDLY WEAKENING LOW WILL MOVE NORTH OF WAINWRIGHT
TONIGHT THEN DISSIPATE WELL NORTH OF POINT BARROW BY SAT EVENING.
STRONG LOW PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS WILL BE OVER
SOUTHWEST ALASKA BY SUN EVENING THEN OVER BERING STRAIT MON NIGHT.
ANOTHER STRONG LOW WILL FORM OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OF ALASKA SUN
NIGHT THEN MOVE NORTH OVER THE INTERIOR MON. PRESSURE GRADIENT
WILL TIGHTEN NORTH OVER THE WEST COAST AND EAST TO THE ALASKA RANGE
THROUGH SAT THEN CONTINUE INTO SUN NIGHT.

NORTH SLOPE...SOUTHERLY FLOW SAT THROUGH SUN WILL BRING MUCH
WARMER TEMPERATURES. A CONTINUATION OF THE MILDER WEATHER SHOULD BE
EXPECTED UNTIL MID WEEK. A DECREASE IN CLOUDINESS...FOG...AND
FLURRIES WILL ACCOMPANY THE MILDER TEMPERATURES.

WEST COAST...TEMPERATURES WILL RISE FROM THE SOUTH TONIGHT THROUGH
SUN AS STRONG LOW OVER THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS MOVES NORTH. THE
SYSTEM WILL BRING SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW THROUGH THE WEEKEND BUT THE
WARMER TEMPERATURES WILL BRING RELIEF FROM LOW WIND CHILLS.

INTERIOR...WARMING WILL TAKE PLACE AS HIGH MOVES EAST INTO CANADA
FRI NIGHT TO SAT. DEVELOPING WINDS WILL MIX WARMER AIR TO THE
SURFACE OVER MANY AREAS. WINDS THROUGH PASSES OF THE ALASKA RANGE
WILL BLOW SNOW. LOW PRESSURE MOVING NORTH OVER THE INTERIOR MON
MAY BRING A ROUND OF SNOW FOR SOUTHERN SLOPES OF THE EASTERN
BROOKS RANGE BUT MAINLY JUST FLURRIES ELSEWHERE OVER THE INTERIOR.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ213-AKZ223.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ219-AKZ221.

WIND CHILL WARNING FOR AKZ201-AKZ202-AKZ203-AKZ204-AKZ205-AKZ206-
AKZ213.

WINTER STORM WATCH FOR AKZ211-AKZ212-AKZ213-AKZ214-AKZ225-AKZ226.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ220.
&&

DA FEB 06

Event by event

2 cold/wind chill, 1 blizzard, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: February 3, 5:55 PM AST to February 5, 1:55 AM AST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: February 4, 4:55 PM AST to February 5, 4:55 AM AST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: February 4, 11:56 PM AST to February 5, 2:56 AM AST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Arctic Coast

When: February 5, 1:56 AM AST to 3:40 AM AST
Where: Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill: Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, February 2006

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5492944, 5492943, 5492946, 5492945.