Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 5 to 6, 2006

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 5 to 6, 2006
Start: 2006-02-05T02:30
End: 2006-02-06T13:00
Location: Alaska

February 5 to 6, 2006 · NWS AFC · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

An intense storm moved into southwest Alaska Sunday, February 5th. The initial phase of this storm produced show in Portage Valley along with strong wind resulting in blizzard conditions.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 AFC wrote it up.

An intense storm moved into southwest Alaska Sunday, February 5th. The initial phase of this storm produced show in Portage Valley along with strong wind resulting in blizzard conditions. This was followed by Hurricane force wind in Bear Valley.Hurricane force wind gusted across the Anchorage Hillside with this storm. After the warm air moved into the south central region, the snow changed to rain. this created extremely hazardous conditions across the south central region as the rain was falling on ice and snow pack across the regions road system. Schools in the municipality of Anchorage closed for the day due to this storm.

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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 4, 5:00 PM AST, 9 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 4, 5:00 PM AST, 9 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
500 PM AST SAT FEB 4 2006

.DISCUSSION...
ANALYSIS - MAJOR WINTER STORM CENTER MOVING INTO THE BERING SEA SAT
MORNING. 500 MB SOUTH FLOW OVER THE MAINLAND FORECAST AREA BY 00Z
SUN. SURFACE CENTER WAS 965 MB NEAR UNALASKA THIS MORNING 12Z BUT
BUOY 46075 ALSO 965 MB WITH A SECOND CENTER OBVIOUS ON SATELLITE PIX.
BOTH LOWS MERGING IN EASTERN BERING TODAY. OCCLUDED FRONT ALMOST TO
KODIAK ISLAND 18Z WITH PLENTY OF WIND AND MONDO WARM AIR ADVECTION
ALOFT OVER SW ALASKA. CLEAR TO THE EAST OF PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND 18Z
WITH A 1020 MB SURFACE HIGH CELL OVER THE ALCAN. UPPER RIDGE ALONG
140W AT 00Z SUN EXTENDING ACROSS N ALASKA TO BERING STRAIT. 500 MB
TEMPS HAVE WARMED TO AROUND -32C OVER S CENTRAL AND -36C OVER THE
REST OF THE AREA. WESTERLY JET FROM KOREA UP TO 150 KT WITH A BROAD
EXIT AROUND 40N 160W.

AER FORECASTS - BIG CHANGE AND TUFF CALLS. SURFACE LOW CONFIGURATION
DIFFERENT THAN YESTERDAYS RUNS. PREFERRED 12Z GFS-190 ON THIS SHIFT
WHICH AGREED WITH UKMET AND ECMWF. STRONGEST WIND NEAR TURNAGAIN ARM
NOW LOOKS LIKE MONDAY. QPFS IMPRESSIVE AND WARMING MOST AREAS CERTAIN
BUT CAN COLD AIR REMAIN IN COOK INLET? METHINKS THAT MONDAY IS THE
WARMEST DAY WITH A CHINOOK AND HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR AREAS OF DOWNSLOPE
BUT ALSO FREEZING RAIN AND SOME RAIN EAST. EXPECT A BIG MESS ON SUPER
BOWL SUNDAY FOR POOR TRAVEL CONDITIONS. EXPECT SOME COOLING AFTER MID
DAY MONDAY AS AN UPPER LOW MOVES OVER PANC AS PER GFS. A SECONDARY
LOW DEVELOPS TO 960 MB S OF KODIAK ISLAND SUN EVENING WITH A BIG SLUG
OF WARM AIR FOR THE NORTHERN GULF. THIS LOW WILL MOVE OVER NORTHERN
COOK INLET BY 00Z TUE AS THE FLOW ALOFT BEGINS TO SHIFT SW.

ALU FORECASTS - AS LONG AS THE PRIBILOFS ARE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE
STORM BLIZZARD CONDITIONS SHOULD PERSIST. RADARS SHOW AREAS OF SNOW
MOVING INTO SW ALASKA AS TEMPS WARM UP THERE WITH SOME WIND. ALL
MODELS AGREE THAT THERE WILL BE A REDUCTION IN SFC PRESSURE GRADIENTS
FOR MOST OF THE EASTERN BERING SEA TONIGHT AS SECONDARY LOWS DEVELOP
ON THE S SIDE OF THE MAIN SURFACE LOW 960 MB OVER PASN 12Z SUN. LOOK
FOR A WESTERLY REGIME DEVELOPING ON MON AS THE MAJOR UPPER LOW
BECOMES ESTABLISHED NEAR 55N 175W IN THE BERING.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING 101 171. WINTER STORM WARNING 125.
         BLIZZARD WARNING 195. SNOW ADV 145. WINTER WX ADV 161.
         MARINE ASHFALL 130 140 (NEAR AUGUSTINE)
MARINE...STORM 120 130 132 150. HVY FRZ SPRAY 130
         GALES 125 129 138 140 141 155 160 170 172 179.
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

JC FEB 06

Event by event

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

Blizzard, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns

When: February 5, 2:30 AM AST to 3:00 PM AST
Where: Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns

When: February 5, 5:00 PM AST to February 6, 10:00 AM AST
Where: Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 88 kt (101 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: February 6, 12:00 PM AST to 1:00 PM AST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

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: 5487101, 5487102, 5487103.