Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, February 9, 2006

Name: Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, February 9, 2006
Start: 2006-02-09T10:30
End: 2006-02-09T21:00
Location: Alaska

February 9, 2006 · NWS AJK · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A 982 MB low moving northward across the Gulf of Alaska to Kodiak Island on this date spread a weather front into the northeast gulf developing strong gusty winds and a short period of heavy snow to the area. the Cape Suckling Marine Buoy (46082) had sustained winds near 40 kt and a gust to 54 kt.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $2,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 AJK wrote it up.

A 982 MB low moving northward across the Gulf of Alaska to Kodiak Island on this date spread a weather front into the northeast gulf developing strong gusty winds and a short period of heavy snow to the area. Gusty east winds at the Bering Glacier RAWS reached 65 mph...the Cape Suckling Marine Buoy (46082) had sustained winds near 40 kt and a gust to 54 kt. Snowfall in Yakutat amounted to just over 8" (8.1").

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 Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 9, 6:30 AM AST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 6:30 AM AST, 4 hours before

SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
630 AM AST THU FEB 9 2006

.SYNOPSIS...
.SHORT RANGE...MODELS SEEM TO BE CLOSER TONIGHT WITH THE STORM
THAT IS SPREADING HIGH CLOUDS ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN GULF COAST
AND NORTHERN PANHANDLE THIS MORNING. THE LOW WITH THIS STORM IS
988MB AT 500 NM SOUTH OF SEWARD AT 09Z. IT IS FORECAST TO BE
ABOUT 981 MB AND ABOUT 100 NM SOUTH OF KODIAK AT 18Z...AND JUST
STARTING TO SPREAD SNOW AND STRONGER WINDS INTO THE NORTHEASTERN
GULF COAST AND YAKUTAT. CURRENT HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR YAKUTAT
STARTING 10 AM AS PRECIPITATION WILL START AS SNOW. DEW POINT
TEMPS AT YAKUTAT 24F WILL TAKE SOME PRECIPITATION TO
MODERATE...PRODUCING MUCH EVAPORATIONAL COOLING IN THE PROCESS.
DRY NORTHEAST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THERE UNTIL THE FRONT IS VERY
CLOSE...WHEN THERE SHOULD BE A SUDDEN SWITCH TO RAIN. HIGH WIND
WATCH FOR LATER TODAY IS UPGRADED TO A WARNING FOR 2 PM TO 10 PM
TODAY.

TEMPS WILL STAY WARM ENOUGH FOR RAIN THROUGH AT LEAST FRI. EVEN
NORTHERN LYNN CANAL SHOULD CHANGE TO RAIN AT LEAST AT SEA LEVEL BY
FRI MORNING.

.LONG RANGE...MODELS ARE IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT WITH ONLY
MINOR DIFFERENCES DAYS 3 THROUGH DAY 7. REMNANTS OF THE
FRONTAL BOUNDARY STATIONARY OVER THE EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA
FRIDAY NIGHT WILL BE DISSIPATING TOWARD SATURDAY MORNING.
STRONG 970 MB LOW MOVING NORTH THROUGH THE ALASKA PENINSULA
WILL PUSH AN OCCLUDED FRONT TO THE EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA BY
SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH SOUTHEAST
ALASKA SUNDAY. CHANCE OF RAIN OR MIXED RAIN AND SNOW NORTH HALF OF
SOUTHEAST ALASKA AND EASTERN GULF COAST FRIDAY NIGHT. RAIN
INCREASING OVER THE ENTIRE REGION DURING SATURDAY WITH THE
APPROACH OF THE GULF OF ALASKA FRONTAL SYSTEM. ONCE THE FRONT
MOVES EAST OF THE REGION SUNDAY...RAIN WILL TRANSITION TO
RAIN SHOWERS AS COLDER AIR ALOFT WILL INVADE THE REGION FROM
THE WEST.

BY SUNDAY NIGHT THE AIR ALOFT WILL BE COLD ENOUGH TO ALLOW
SNOW TO MIX WITH THE RAIN SHOWERS ALONG THE EASTERN GULF COAST
AND OVER NORTHERN SOUTHEAST ALASKA. RAIN SHOWERS ELSEWHERE
UNTIL MONDAY NIGHT WHEN MIXED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL SPREAD
TO CENTRAL SOUTHEAST ALASKA AS WELL AS THE MISTY FJORDS...
SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS CONTINUING OVER THE SOUTHERN INNER
AND SOUTHERN COASTAL SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ALASKA. FARTHER
NORTH CLOUDS WILL BE DECREASING ALONG THE EASTERN GULF COAST
AND ACROSS NORTHERN SOUTHEAST ALASKA MONDAY NIGHT.

ONCE AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES EAST OF THE REGION MONDAY
NIGHT...A BROAD AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN BUILDING OVER
THE REGION FROM THE WEST TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. AS A RESULT
CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO  DECREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST OVER
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SOUTHEAST ALASKA  TUESDAY...MOSTLY
CLEAR SKIES ON WEDNESDAY.

.AJK...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
PUBLIC...HEAVY SNOW WARNING 17
         HIGH WIND WARNING 17
         WIND ADVISORY 22-23
MARINE...STORM 43-51-52-310
         GALE 11-21-22-41-42-53
         SCA 13-31-32-33-34-35-36

Event by event

1 high wind, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Cape Fairweather to Cape Suckling Coastal Area

When: February 9, 10:30 AM AST to 9:00 PM AST
Where: Cape Fairweather to Cape Suckling Coastal Area forecast zone
Measured: 75 kt (86 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Cape Fairweather to Cape Suckling Coastal Area

When: February 9, 11:00 AM AST to 3:00 PM AST
Where: Cape Fairweather to Cape Suckling Coastal Area forecast zone
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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: 5495565, 5495566.