Blizzard, Chukchi Sea Coast
- When
- March 24, 10:56 AM AKST to 2:16 PM AKST
- Where
- Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
Blizzard in Alaska, March 24, 2008
Blizzard Conditions were observed at Point Hope briefly on the 24th, as strong winds created reduced visibilities in blowing snow.
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.
Blizzard Conditions were observed at Point Hope briefly on the 24th, as strong winds created reduced visibilities in blowing snow.
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 Mar 24, 4:52 AM AKST, 6 hours 4 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 24, 4:52 AM AKST, 6 hours 4 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 1052 AM ADT MON MAR 24 2008 .DISCUSSION... UPPER AIR: LONG WAVE TROUGH HOLDS WELL UNTIL FRI THEN BEGINS TO SHOW SIGNS OF POSSIBLE CHANGE. VORTEX ROTATING OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA SHOULD SWING EAST INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA ON FRI AS RIDGE BUILDS IN BEHIND IT. CLOSED LOW WILL FORM FROM THE EASTERN TIP OF RUSSIA TO THE WESTERN ARCTIC COAST ON WED...THEN DEEPEN TO A 515 DM CENTER OVER THE WESTERN SEWARD PENINSULA COAST FRI AND EXTENDING WEST SOUTHWEST OVER THE BERING SEA. BY SAT AFTERNOON... THE AXIS OF THIS TROUGH THREATENS TO BE JUST WEST OF THE WEST COAST...EXTENDING FROM THE LOW OVER POINT HOPE TO WEST OF THE PRIBILOFS AND SOUTHWEST TO THE WEST CENTRAL ALEUTIANS. ON SAT...LARGE CLOSED HIGH OVER THE ARCTIC OCEAN WILL DRIFT NEAR 78N/158W THROUGH THU...THEN CONTRACT AND MOVE A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES EAST ON SAT. SURFACE: HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ARCTIC OCEAN AND LOW PRESSURE OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA WITH TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE BROOKS RANGE WILL BEGIN TO WEAKEN TONIGHT...THEN WEAKEN CONSIDERABLY BY WED MORNING. BY WED NIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL GENERALLY BE WEAK OVER ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA. A WEAK PRESSURE PATTERN WILL PERSIST THROUGH FRI...THEN LOW PRESSURE MAY DEVELOP OVER BRISTOL BAY AND MOVE NORTH OVER THE WESTERN INTERIOR DURING THE WEEKEND. MODEL SOLUTIONS SHOW UNUSUAL DISAGREEMENT STARTING DURING THE WEEKEND. THE ECMF SHOWS A WEAKER SYSTEM THEN THE GFS. NORTH SLOPE: EAST WINDS WILL BE BRISK THROUGH TUE...THEN BEGIN TO DIMINISH TUE NIGHT AS PRESSURE GRADIENT WEAKENS. BY THU...WINDS WILL BE LIGHT. NO PRECIPITATION IS IN SIGHT THROUGH SAT. WEST COAST: NORTH WINDS WITH COOLER AIR WILL MOVE SOUTH OVER THE EASTERN BERING SEA TONIGHT TO PRODUCE SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS FROM SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND...NOME... AND TO SOUTHWEST ALASKA. A TROUGH MOVING WEST WILL PRODUCE FLURRIES OVER THE NULATO HILLS TO THE FAR WESTERN INTERIOR. UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL TRIGGER SNOW SHOWERS OVER KOTZEBUE TO THE NOATAK AREA TUE NIGHT AND PERSIST THROUGH WED NIGHT. INTERIOR: SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF OVER THE SOUTH SLOPES OF THE BROOKS RANGE TO THE WESTERN INTERIOR TONIGHT..THEN A FEW FLURRIES WILL LINGER TOMORROW. ELSEWHERE...ONLY A FEW FLURRIES WILL OCCUR TONIGHT. NO PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED THROUGH FRI NIGHT...THEN SOME SNOW MAY DEVELOP OVER THE FAR WEST INTERIOR ON SAT. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ203. WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ217-AKZ218. WIND CHILL WARNING FOR AKZ205-AKZ206. BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR AKZ219. BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230-PKZ235- PKZ240-PKZ245. && DA MAR 08
Event by event
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- 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, March 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: 83471.