Alaska, 2008

Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 2 to 3, 2008

February 2 to 3, 2008 · NWS AFC · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A 996mb low in the Northern Gulf of Alaska, combined with a 1026mb high pressure ridge over the interior, created a 24mb pressure difference between Fairbanks and Valdez. These two surface features combined with a passing upper level trough of low pressure, as well as cold air advection, provided the instability for steady snow and strong northerly winds across the zone.

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.

A 996mb low in the Northern Gulf of Alaska, combined with a 1026mb high pressure ridge over the interior, created a 24mb pressure difference between Fairbanks and Valdez. These two surface features combined with a passing upper level trough of low pressure, as well as cold air advection, provided the instability for steady snow and strong northerly winds across the zone. Orientation of the surface pressure gradient (West/Southwest to East/Northeast) was also conducive to strong terrain enhanced winds across Northeast Prince William Sound.

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 2, 8:25 AM AKST, 9 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 2, 8:25 AM AKST, 9 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
125 PM AST SAT FEB 2 2008

.MODEL DISCUSSION...USING A BLEND OF THE LAST TO RUNS OF GFS AND ADDED
A PINCH OF ECMWF IN THE MIX. MAIN PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WITH THE EASTWARD
ELONGATING FRONT WITH THE 988 MB LOW THAT MOVES TO NIKOLSKI ON SUNDAY.
MODELS..ESPECIALLY ECMWF HAVING TROUBLE FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON ON WITH
THE DEVELOPING WAVES AND TRIPLE POINT FEATURES THAT ALWAYS FORM WHEN
THESE FRONTS STRETCH OUT TO THE EAST LIKE THIS. ACTUALLY..THE LATEST
GFS RUN LOOKS PRETTY GOOD IN KEEPING THE PARENT LOW DEEPER AND MORE
INTACT AS IT TRACKS EAST TO 155W-160W MONDAY AFTERNOON.

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...COLD UPPER LOW AND ASSOCIATED -40C TO -45C
500MB TEMPS CENTERED OVER THE YUKON VALLEY. SHORTWAVE TROF SWINGING
ACROSS SOUTHCENTRAL TODAY INTERACTING WITH GULF LOW MOISTURE AND
PRODUCING SNOW FROM ABOUT THE EAST SIDE OF THE KENAI PENINSULA EASTWARD
FUNNEL WITH MODERATE SNOW AT VALDEZ. AS THE UPPER TROF SWINGS EASTWARD
CLEARING AND COLDER TONIGHT SPREADING IN FROM THE NORTHWEST. SNOW AREA
WILL SHIFT OVER TO THE PACV-PAYA AREA AND ALSO ACROSS THE EASTERN
COPPER RIVER BASIN. NEXT PACIFIC LOW WILL BRING POSSIBLE BLIZZARD TO
THE AK PEN SUNDAY. WILL GO WITH A BLIZZARD WATCH IN THE AFTERNOON
FORECAST. THIS SYSTEM WILL HEAD EAST AND GRAZE SOUTHERN KODIAK ISLAND
WITH SOME MOISTURE BRINGING ANOTHER SNOW THREAT TO PACV EASTWARD AGAIN
TUESDAY.

.LONG TERM FORECAST...
NO GRID CHANGES BEYOND 84 HOURS. UPPER HIGH ACROSS PRIBILOFS TO THE
RUSSIAN FAR EAST WILL BUILD EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTHERN BERING AS
UPPER TROF SHIFTS TO THE BOARDER BY SUNDAY EVENING. SOUTHERN MAINLAND
LOOKS CLEAR AND COLD WITH BRISK GLF COAST AND PRINCE WILLIAM SOUNDS
WINDS FOR THE NEXT 7 TO 10 DAYS. ALSO, TEMPERATURES WILL FALL WELL
BELOW ZERO EACH NIGHT WITH THE COLDEST AREA DEVELOPING IN ZONE 141
AROUND MID WEEK AT WHICH TIME GULKANA MAY APPROACH 50 BELOW. MOST OF
MAINLAND FORECAST AREA WILL HAVE THE COLDEST FIRST 10 DAYS OF FEBRUARY
SINCE 1999.

STORMS WILL STAY SOUTH OF ALEUTIANS THIS NEXT WEEK BUT MORE SNOW AND
BLOWING SNOW PROBLEMS MAY ACCOMPANY THE NEXT MID WEEK STORM FROM ADAK
TO COLD BAY.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...BLIZZARD WATCH FOR THE GREATER COLD BAY AREA SUNDAY.
         WINDCHILL AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY THOMPSON PASS TONIGHT INTO
         SUNDAY.

MARINE...GALES AREAS 120 165 170 172 176 179
HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY AREAS 121 129 130 141 160 165 185

PERCY FEB 08

Event by event

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

High Wind, Nern P.W. Snd

When
February 2, 5:45 PM AKST to February 3, 4:00 AM AKST
Where
Nern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Measured
119 kt (137 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Department of Highways

Blizzard, Nern P.W. Snd

When
February 2, 6:00 PM AKST to February 3, 6:30 AM AKST
Where
Nern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Reported by
Public

At 10:30am on the 2nd. A report from a citizen of Valdez that gusty winds and less than visibilities at Alpine Woods (mile post 10)were being witnessed. The 12 mile Road Weather Information System (RWIS) was reporting 32 mph gusts and falling snow with poor visibility on the cameras. In Valdez: Reduced visibilities to 1/4 mile were being reported from NWS employees at WSO Valdez as early as 12pm. In the Pass: Observations started coming in at 6pm with white-out conditions and strong winds to 92 mph occurring at 5:44 pm on the 2nd of February. These conditions persisted through the night until 6am on the 3rd when the last report from Thompson Pass came in.

High Wind, Sern P.W. Snd

When
February 2, 6:00 PM AKST to February 3, 5:00 AM AKST
Where
Sern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Measured
100 kt (115 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Department of Highways

Thompson Pass Road Weather Information site reported peak gusts to 119 KT out of the north. These winds are characteristic of the magnitude of the gap winds through the Chugach Mountains that most likely occurred out of the Copper River Delta.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 2008

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: 68055, 68019, 68049.