Alaska, 2008

Extreme Cold in Alaska, February 29, 2008

February 29, 2008 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Strong high pressure over the North Slope and moderate low pressure over the Gulf of Alaska created moderate winds near the Alaska-Canada border, and with cold temperatures this resulted in a period of Extreme Wind Chill, as reported by the Remote Automated Weather Station at Eagle, where the Wind Chill reach -70 F. Sustained Wind speeds were 20 to 30 mph during the event.

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.

Strong high pressure over the North Slope and moderate low pressure over the Gulf of Alaska created moderate winds near the Alaska-Canada border, and with cold temperatures this resulted in a period of Extreme Wind Chill, as reported by the Remote Automated Weather Station at Eagle, where the Wind Chill reach -70 F. Sustained Wind speeds were 20 to 30 mph during the event. Event continued into March.

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 29, 10:37 AM AKST, 10 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 29, 10:37 AM AKST, 10 hours 23 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
337 PM AST FRI FEB 29 2008

.DISCUSSION...

ALOFT...
UPPER HIGH CENTERED ABOUT 150 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WRANGEL ISLAND
WILL RECEDE SOUTHWESTWARD ACROSS RUSSIA DURING THE NEXT 36
HOURS...WEAKENING SLOWLY. NORTHERN ALASKA WILL BE UNDER A WEAK
FLOW PATTERN IN THE UPPER LEVELS BY 12Z SUN. RIDGING WILL BEGIN
TO BUILD NORTHWARD OVER NORTHERN ALASKA MONDAY. CURRENT OPERATIONAL
RUNS AND GFS ENSEMBLES IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH TUE.

THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OVER NORTHERN ALASKA AT 850 MB WILL BE TODAY
THROUGH SATURDAY. 850 MB TEMPERATURES OVER THE SOUTHERN INTERIOR
WILL MODERATE TO NEAR NORMAL BY MON AS THE UPPER RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD
NORTHWARD. BY TUESDAY...850 MB TEMPERATURES WILL BE ABOVE SEASONAL
NORMALS...GETTING CLOSE TO 0C IN SOME AREAS...AS THE UPPER RIDGE
BECOMES WELL ESTABLISHED OVER THE FORECAST AREA...WITH LOWER LEVEL
SOUTHERLY FLOW BEGINNING TO INCREASE.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ204-AKZ217-AKZ219-AKZ220-AKZ221-
AKZ222-AKZ225-AKZ226.

WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ222.

WIND CHILL WARNING FOR AKZ206-AKZ218.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ200-PKZ210.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ210.
&&

FEB 08

Event by event

1 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile

When
February 29, 9:00 PM AKST to 11:59 PM AKST
Where
Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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: 83441.