A 970mb low in the Gulf of Alaska moved north to the Kenai Peninsula. As it moved inland snow fell across the mountains and in Thompson Pass.
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.
The episode as NWS AFC wrote it up.
A 970mb low in the Gulf of Alaska moved north to the Kenai Peninsula. As it moved inland snow fell across the mountains and in Thompson Pass. The front produced strong wind across Valdez into Thompson Pass resulting in a Blizzard. Blizzard conditions also occurred behind this front in the strong west wind and snow over the southern Kenai Peninsula.
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 14, 11:10 PM AKST, 6 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
410 AM AST FRI FEB 15 2008
.MODEL DISCUSSION...MODELS CONTINUE TO HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON LOW OVER
SOUTHCENTRAL. AS WOULD BE EXPECTED MODEL WINDS ARE TOO LIGHT
ACROSS THE REGION OF STRONG COLD ADVECTION AND CURRENT FORECASTS
ACCOUNT FOR THIS. HOWEVER MODELS ARE A LITTLE QUICK ON MOVEMENT OF
UPPER LEVEL LOW ACROSS SOUTHWEST AK AND KODIAK. MODELS ARE FINALLY
COMING INTO LINE WITH EVOLUTION OF SYSTEMS SOUTH OF ALEUTIANS. WILL
WAIT TO SEE IF NEW RUNS ARE CONSISTENT.
.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...THE LOW THAT HAS BEEN AFFECTING THE
STATE THIS PAST WEEK HAS FINALLY MOVED INLAND OVER THE SUSITNA AND
KUSKOKWIM VALLEYS. THIS WILL TRACK NORTHEAST THROUGH THE DAY. THE
UPPER LEVEL LOW AND ASSOCIATED VORT MAXES WILL PUSH THROUGH
SOUTHCENTRAL TODAY MOVING FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST. WINDS WILL BE
VERY STRONG WITH CAA BEHIND THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH. EXPECT STORM
FORCE WINDS THROUGH THE BARRENS WITH STRONGER GUSTS. WINDS WILL ALSO
BE STRONG OVER LAND INCLUDING THE ANCHORAGE BOWL. DRIVING CONDITIONS
MAY BE HAZARDOUS FOR THE LOCAL MORNING COMMUTE WITH REDUCED
VISIBILITIES DUE TO BLOWING SNOW FROM THE MATANUSKA VALLEY SOUTH TO
THE WESTERN KENAI PENINSULA. MAY NEED TO EXTEND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
NORTHWARD. THE VORT MAXES WILL ALSO ENHANCE SNOWFALL ESPECIALLY IN
UPSLOPE AREAS THROUGH THE MORNING MOVING INTO THE COPPER RIVER VALLEY
BY AFTERNOON.
THE NEXT FRONT IS BEGINNING TO BRING MORE PRECIP INTO THE ALEUTIANS
WITH STRONG WINDS. DIRECTION IS NOT CURRENTLY FAVORABLE FOR BLIZZARDS
BUT WILL WATCH BACK EDGE IN A DAY OR TWO.
.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
EAST OF THE ALASKA RANGE...THE SNOW WILL DIMINISH FRIDAY AFTERNOON
ACROSS SOUTHCENTRAL...BUT WONT END COMPLETELY IN NORTHERN TO EASTERN
AREAS UNTIL EVENING AS THE UPPER TROUGH FINALLY MOVES INTO THE
INTERIOR. COULD SEE ANOTHER 3 TO 6 INCHES WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS IN
UPSLOPE AREAS BEFORE ALL IS SAID AND DONE. SOUTHERN KENAI PENINSULA
WILL CONTINUE TO SEE INLET EFFECT SNOW THROUGH EARLY MORNING WITH
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN BLOWING SNOW BEFORE GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT AS THE
VORT MAX MOVES NORTH. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL NOT BE TOO FAR AWAY WITH
SNOW AND WIND LIKELY MOVING INTO KODIAK FRIDAY NIGHT AND THE REST OF
SOUTHCENTRAL SATURDAY. WITH GREAT UNCERTAINTY IN STRENGTH AND TRACK
OF NEXT SYSTEM IT IS TOO SOON TO ELABORATE ON ANY OF THE EXPECTED
IMPACTS.
BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS/AKPENN...PACIFIC LOW WILL REMAIN SOUTH
OF ALEUTIANS BUT FRONT WILL PUSH NORTHWARD ACROSS CENTRAL TO EASTERN
ALEUTIANS AND SOUTHERN ALASKA PENINSULA...RESULTING IN MORE SNOW AND
WINDS. THIS IS A LESS FAVORABLE WIND DIRECTION FOR BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS SO AT THIS POINT DO NOT THINK ANY WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED.
AS SYSTEMS DEVELOP EAST OF THE PARENT LOW COLD ADVECTION WILL MOVE
DOWN ACROSS BERING SEA ONCE AGAIN...BUT A LITTLE FURTHER WEST THIS
TIME.
SOUTHWEST ALASKA...SNOW WILL TAPER OFF FROM SOUTH TO NORTH THIS
MORNING AS THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES BY. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO
FALL TO BELOW ZERO MOST AREAS. NEXT ROUND OF WIND AND SNOW WILL
LIKELY MOVE BACK IN TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL
BE POSSIBLE ONCE AGAIN...BUT TOO MUCH UNCERTAINTY IN TRACK OF SYSTEMS
TO DETERMINE THAT YET.
.LONG TERM FORECAST...GFS HAS FLIPFLOPPED IN THE LONG TERM THE PAST
COUPLE OF DAYS. THIS MAY INDICATE A PATTERN CHANGE AND A WARMING
TREND NEXT WEEK. UNTIL THEN EXPECT ACTIVE STORM TRACK TO PERSIST.
.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...BLIZZARD WARNING 121
BLIZZARD WATCH 195
SNOW ADVISORY 101 145
MARINE...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY 120 130 132 138 140 141 150 155 165 179
185
STORMS 120
GALES 125 130 132 138 140 141 150 155 160 165 170 172 175
176 179
FIRE WEATHER...NONE
RNW FEB 081 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Department of Highways workers reported wind speed of 30 to 40 mph and blowing snow that reduced the visibility to less than a quarter mile this morning at 6 A.M.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 2008
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: 69910.