Alaska, 2007

Heavy Snow in Alaska, May 6 to 7, 2007

May 6 to 7, 2007 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An upper low circulation moved south over the Arctic Ocean toward the Central Beaufort Sea Coast on the 6th and the circulation produced heavy snow at the Cooperative Observer Station at Colville River. Snow began at 0800 AST on the 6th.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

An upper low circulation moved south over the Arctic Ocean toward the Central Beaufort Sea Coast on the 6th and the circulation produced heavy snow at the Cooperative Observer Station at Colville River. Snow began at 0800 AST on the 6th. Snow ended at 1530 AST on the 7th with 8.6 inches total accumulation. Winds were light so there was no drifting of snow. Heavy Snow criteria was estimated to be met at 0500 AST on the 7th.

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 May 6, 8:20 AM AKST, 8 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 8:20 AM AKST, 8 hours 40 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
220 PM ADT SUN MAY 6 2007

.DISCUSSION...

UPPER AIR: BROAD TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER NORTHERN ALASKA THROUGH
MID WEEK THEN RIDGE BUILDS NORTHEAST FROM THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS.
LOW PRESSURE OVER BEAUFORT SEA COAST WILL MOVE NORTHWEST AND BY
TUE AFTERNOON WILL BE 300 NM NORTH OF BARROW. ZONAL FLOW DEVELOPS
FRI OVER NORTHERN ALASKA BETWEEN RIDGE TO THE SOUTH AND TROUGH TO
THE NORTH.

SURFACE: A 1003 MB LOW OFF THE BEAUFORT SEA COAST WILL MOVE
NORTHWEST AND BY MON EVENING WILL BE 1010 MB 200 NM NORTH OF
BARROW. A WEAK LOW WILL MOVE RAPIDLY SOUTHEAST ACROSS SAINT
LAWRENCE ISLAND AND THE YUKON DELTA TONIGHT AND MON MORNING.
ANOTHER MAY FOLLOW MON NIGHT AND TUE. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD
OVER THE NORTHERN BERING SEA TUE AND TUE NIGHT THEN PERSIST
THROUGH FRI.

NORTH SLOPE: SNOW WILL BE TAPERING OFF TONIGHT AND MON AS LOW
MOVES NORTHWEST AWAY FROM THE NORTH SLOPE. ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL
END BY MON MORNING WITH LESS THAN AN ADDITIONAL INCH OVER THE
BEAUFORT SEA COAST TO ANOTHER 2 INCHES OVER THE NORTHERN ARCTIC
SECTIONS. FLURRIES AND FOG WITH LIGHT WINDS WILL FOLLOW THROUGH
FRI.

WEST COAST: LIGHT WINDS EXPECTED THROUGH FRI. SNOW SHOWERS OVER
SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND AND THE YUKON DELTA SHOULD END MON AS LOCAL
LOW MOVES RAPIDLY SOUTHEAST OVER THAT AREA. ANOTHER LOW MAY BRING
MORE SNOW AND RAIN SHOWERS MON NIGHT AND TUE. ANY ACCUMULATIONS
WILL BE LESS THAN 1 INCH. THU AND FRI WILL BE DRY THEN OVER THE
WEEKEND A WARM FRONT AHEAD OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN BERING
SEA WILL BRING SNOW AND RAIN TO MUCH OF THE WEST COAST.

INTERIOR: CIRCULATION AROUND UPPER LOW OVER THE BEAUFORT SEA COAST
WILL CAUSE BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS OVER PARTS OF THE CENTRAL TO
EASTERN INTERIOR TONIGHT AND MON. ONLY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED
SHOWERS EXPECTED THIS WEEK.

COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE

&&

.MARINE...NO SIGNIFICANT ISSUES.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...NO SIGNIFICANT ISSUES.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...NO SIGNIFICANT ISSUES.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

MAY 07

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When
May 6, 5:00 PM AKST to May 7, 11:30 PM AKST
Where
Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations

What these are

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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, May 2007

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: 20500.