Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 8 to 9, 2006

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 8 to 9, 2006
Start: 2006-02-08T17:55
End: 2006-02-09T09:00
Location: Alaska

February 8 to 9, 2006 · NWS AFG · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

High Winds were reported at:Zone 211: Golovin AWOS gust to 53 knots (61 mph). Zone 214 - Cape Romanzof AWOS.

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 moved slowly northwest over Bristol Bay.High Winds were reported at:Zone 211: Golovin AWOS gust to 53 knots (61 mph). Zone 214: Cape Romanzof AWOS gust to 55 knots (63 mph).Blizzard conditions were lilely at:Zone 213 - Tin City AWOS.Zone 214 - Cape Romanzof AWOS.

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 8, 2:36 PM AST, 3 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 8, 2:36 PM AST, 3 hours 19 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
236 PM AST WED FEB 8 2006

.DISCUSSION...

ALOFT...CLOSED LOW PRESSURE OVER THE ARCTIC OCEAN WILL MOVE
RAPIDLY EAST TONIGHT AND FRI AS RIDGE OVER WESTERN CANADA BUILDS
NORTH. RIDGE AXIS NORTH OVER WESTERN CANADA TO THE BEAUFORT SEA
COMBINED WITH LOWS FORMING IN A LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER THE BERING
SEA AND ROTATING EAST WILL PRODUCE A GENERALLY SOUTHERLY FLOW
OVER NORTHERN ALASKA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL
BECOME STRONG AT TIMES THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS SHORT WAVES ROTATING
NORTHWARD OVER THE BERING SEA TO THE WEST HALF OF NORTHERN ALASKA
TIGHTEN THE PRESSURE GRADIENT.

SURFACE...A 999 MB LOW A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES NORTHEAST OF POINT BARROW
WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AND WEAKEN. HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE
EASTERN ALASKA RANGE AND COVERING THE SOUTHEAST INTERIOR WILL MOVE
RAPIDLY EAST INTO CANADA ON THU AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES EAST ALONG
THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS. THE LOW WILL ROTATE NORTH TO THE PRIBILOFS
FRI THEN NORTHWEST AND WEAKEN ON SAT. ANOTHER LOW WILL STRENGTHEN
OVER THE ALASKA PENINSULA NEAR SAND POINT ON SAT. THE LOW WILL
WEAKEN AS IT MOVES NORTH OF KODIAK ISLAND SAT NIGHT.

NORTH SLOPE...STRONG WEST WINDS WILL BECOME LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTHWEST
LATER TONIGHT AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES NORTHEAST OVER THE ARCTIC
OCEAN. LIGHT SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL DEVELOP THU AS LOW PRESSURE
MOVES EAST OVER THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS MOVES EAST. EAST WINDS WILL
INCREASE AND BECOME STRONG ON FRI. ONLY FLURRIES OR A LITTLE
LIGHT SNOW SHOULD BE EXPECTED. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN UNSEASONABLY
MILD.

WEST COAST...WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW WILL INCREASE THIS EVENING
WITH APPROACH OF LOW OVER CENTRAL ALEUTIANS. MODERATE TO STRONG
WINDS WITH BLOWING SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO SAT. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
WILL BE SLOW TO EASE. TEMPERATURES WILL BE MILD FOR THIS TIME OF
YEAR.

INTERIOR...HIGH PRESSURE WILL PRODUCE A PERIOD OF DRY WEATHER THROUGH
FRI. SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL INCREASE OVER THE ALASKA RANGE THU AS
HIGH MOVES EAST INTO CANADA AND UPPER LEVEL LOW STRENGTHENS OVER
THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS. WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL PERSIST OVER
THE INTERIOR THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ205-AKZ206-AKZ207-AKZ208-
AKZ209-AKZ210-AKZ215.

BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ211-AKZ212-AKZ213-AKZ214.

BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR AKZ202-AKZ203-AKZ220-AKZ221.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ200.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ240-
PKZ245.
&&

DA FEB 06

Event by event

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

Blizzard, Yukon Delta

When: February 8, 5:55 PM AST to 11:30 PM AST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Yukon Delta

When: February 8, 5:55 PM AST to 11:30 PM AST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: February 9, 12:00 AM AST to 9:00 AM AST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Srn Seward Peninsula Coast

When: February 9, 3:16 AM AST
Where: Srn Seward Peninsula Coast forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 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: 5492948, 5492949, 5492947, 5492950.