Alaska, 2008

Winter Storm in Alaska, March 29 to 30, 2008

March 29 to 30, 2008 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A low pressure center along with a strong warm front moved north over southwest Alaska on the 30th, providing overrunning moisture for heavy snow, particularly against the southern Nulato Hills and other south and southeast facing slopes. Later on the 30th, warm enough air caused the snow to change to freezing rain in some locations, though amounts are unknown and likely below warning criteria.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

A low pressure center along with a strong warm front moved north over southwest Alaska on the 30th, providing overrunning moisture for heavy snow, particularly against the southern Nulato Hills and other south and southeast facing slopes. Later on the 30th, warm enough air caused the snow to change to freezing rain in some locations, though amounts are unknown and likely below warning criteria. |Zone 214: Snowfall began on Saturday and continued into the night Saturday night. Low visibility at a number of stations in the area such as St. Mary's, Scammon Bay and Mountain Village, suggest heavy snowfall fell, as the temperatures remained below freezing through Saturday morning. Based on Bethel's snowfall of 10 inches for the event, it is likely a similar amount fell over portions of zone 214.|Zone 215: From observations of visibility, temperature, and precipitation amounts and occurrences from Russian Mission, Holy Cross, and Anvik, the region received long durations of snowfall, likely heavy snowfall in low visibility. Based on snowfall at McGrath (6.4 inches) and Bethel (10 inches), it is likely that 6 to 8 inches fell over the southern portion of this zone...including the southern Nulato Hills.

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 29, 9:31 AM AKST, 5 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 29, 9:31 AM AKST, 5 hours 29 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
331 PM ADT SAT MAR 29 2008

.DISCUSSION...
MODELS HAD NOT BEEN IN AGREEMENT IN MOVEMENT OF FRONTAL BOUNDARY
MAKING LANDFALL ON THE SOUTHWEST COAST. THE NAM12 HAS CAME MUCH
MORE IN LINE WITH THAT OF THE GFS. THIS LEADS MUCH MORE
CREDIBILITY TO THE SUPPOSITION THAT THE GFS WAS THE MODEL OF
CHOICE FROM PREVIOUS THINKING.

THE NEW REVELATION FROM THE NAM HAS INSPIRED THE CANCELLATION OF
THE WINTER STORM WATCH FOR ZONE 216. THE TRAJECTORY FOR UPPER
LEVEL FLOW APPEARS TO BE TOO SOUTHWESTERLY TO PRODUCE WHAT IS
REQUIRED FOR HEAVY SNOW CRITERIA.

UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD IN OVER MOST OF NORTHERN
ALASKA THROUGH THE MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK. DOWNSLOPE FLOW WILL
BEGIN ON TUESDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY BEFORE A LONG WAVE
TROUGH DIVES INTO THE WEST COAST SMASHING DOWN THE RIDGE AND
PUSHING IT EASTWARD.

SNOW IS FALLING HEAVILY IN THE SOUTHWEST ZONES AND WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH MOST OF THE NIGHT AS THE SOUTHWEST FLOW USHERS IN COPIOUS
AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE IN WHICH MOST OF IT WILL BE SNOW.

SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THAT THE NEXT SYSTEM TO STRIKE THE
SOUTHWEST COAST ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT IS FORMING NICELY IN
THE NORTH PACIFIC. THIS SYSTEM WILL LIKELY BRING IN DECENT AMOUNT
OF RAIN INSTEAD OF SNOW BECAUSE OF THE WARM AIR ALREADY IN PLACE
AND NOT MUCH TO SCOUR OUT.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR AKZ214.

WINTER STORM WARNING FOR AKZ215.
&&

CF MAR 08

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Yukon Delta

When
March 29, 3:00 PM AKST to March 30, 6:00 PM AKST
Where
Yukon Delta forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS

Winter Storm, Lower Yukon Valley

When
March 29, 4:53 PM AKST to March 30, 3:00 PM AKST
Where
Lower Yukon Valley forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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: 79889, 79890.