Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, February 11 to 14, 2009

Name: Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, February 11 to 14, 2009
Start: 2009-02-11T23:16
End: 2009-02-14T00:56
Location: Alaska

February 11 to 14, 2009 · NWS AFG · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

On the morning of the 12th a 963 mb low in the western Bering Sea tracked slowly northeast and weakened to 996 mb east of Saint Lawrence Island through the evening of the 13th. The storm moved inland and filled on the 14th.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 3
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

Zone 208: Heavy snow was observed by the Noatak cooperative observer during the early morning hours of the 12th through the early morning hours of the 13th. Six and a half inches of snow was observed from midnight on the 12th through midnight on the 13th.

Zone 209: Periods of heavy snow that reduced the visibility to one quarter of a mile were observed at Kotzebue during the day on the 13th. 7.5 inches of snow was observed at the Weather Service Office in Kotzebue. Blizzard conditions were observed from 6 pm Thursday through noon on Friday. The visibility was reduced to one quarter of a mile at times in snow and blowing snow. The wind gusted to 43kt/50 mph at the Kotzebue ASOS during the morning of the 13th.

Zone 210: Heavy snow was observed along the coast during the early hours of the 13th. Kotzebue reported 7.5 inches of snow. Snow began|at the Deering and Buckland ASOS's Thursday evening through Friday afternoon.

Zone 211: Heavy snow was observed at Nome during the evening hours of the 12th through noon on Friday of the 13th. A total of 8.9 inches of snow was observed at the Nome Weather Service Office. The visibility was also frequently reduced to one half mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The wind gusted to 31 kt/36 mph at the Nome ASOS. Two men suffered injuries in the Tesoro Iron Dog Race, each in separate instances, when the snowmobile they were driving hit hit a snowdrift

Zone 212: Heavy snow was observed along the coast during the early hours of the 13th. Estimated snowfall criteria of 6 inches was met|at the end of the event, based on Nome's total of 8.9 inches and assuming this zone was in warmer air to begin with, so snow production|was somewhat less. A man suffered injuries 25 miles from Koyuk when the snowmobile he was driving in the Tesoro Iron Dog Race hit a snowdrift.

Zone 213: Heavy snow and blizzard conditions were observed at Gambell and along the Bering Strait coast. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less from Thursday the 12th through Friday the 13th at the Gambell AWOS, and the wind gusted to 48 kt/55 mph.

Zone 214: Heavy snow and blizzard conditions were observed at Scammon Bay and Cape Romanzof during the day on Friday. Visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less at times during the day on Thursday the 12th through 9 am on Friday the 13th. The wind gusted to 50 kt/58 mph at Scammon Bay during the early morning hours of the 13th.

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 11, 1:33 PM AKST, 9 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 1:33 PM AKST, 9 hours 43 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
133 PM AKST WED FEB 11 2009

.DISCUSSION...PATTERN CHANGE UNDERWAY TO WARMER...MORE
ACTIVE FOR ALL NORTHERN AK. 12Z MODELS IN BASIC AGREEMENT
ON KEY FEATURES. FIRST ONE IS WEAKENING 994 MB LOW NEAR
DATELINE/56N. DISSIPATING FRONTAL REMNANT WITH IT WILL
CONTINUE MOVING OVER ST LAWRENCE AND SEWARD PEN. TONIGHT
AND CHUKCHI SEA COAST FRI. IT WILL MERGE WITH WARM FRONTAL
FEATURE ASSOCIATED WITH NEXT STRONGER LOW.

THIS LOW...CURRENTLY AROUND 975 MB AT 48N/175E WILL DEEPEN
TO 960-965 MB BY 00Z THU WHEN IT MOVES TO AROUND 55N/177W.
TRIPLE POINT AND FRONTAL SYSTEM ASSOCIATED WITH IT WILL
MOVE N OVER ST LAWRENCE...BERING STRAIT...AND SEWARD PEN.
LATE THU AND CHUKCHI SEA COAST EARLY FRI. MAIN LOW WILL
WEAKEN SUBSTANTIALLY AS IT MOVES OVER BRISTOL BAY BY 00Z
SAT. UPPER RIDGING AHEAD OF THIS CURRENTLY DEEPENING LOW
WILL MOVE E OVER CENTRAL AK AND AMPLIFY N LATE THU/FRI.
THIS RIDGE WILL FORCE REMNANTS OF BERING LOW TO RIDE UP
OVER IT SAT IN SW FLOW OVER INTERIOR SAT. ANOTHER LOW WILL
MOVE OVER ALEUTIANS AND AK PEN. SUN/MON.

N SLOPE: FRONTAL REMNANT MOISTURE FROM FIRST BERING LOW
WILL MOVE N OVER WRN BROOKS RANGE AND WRN ARCTIC COAST THU.
SOME -SN POSSIBLE WITH THIS THEN INTO THU NIGHT ZONES 201
202 AND 205. TIGHTENING NE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL
LEAD TO BWA LEVEL WINDS WRN ARCTIC COAST THU NIGHT AND BLSN.
MAIN FRONTAL BAND FROM SECOND LOW WILL MOVE OVER WRN ARCTIC
COAST AND WRN BROOKS FRI...BRINGING MORE WIDESPREAD SNOW AND
BLSN. NOT EXPECTING BLIZ. CONDITIONS AT THIS POINT.

W COAST: SNOW SHOWERS TONIGHT AND BLSN ST LAWRENCE AND BERING
STRAIT WITH FIRST FRONTAL REMNANTS AND TIGHTENING NE SURFACE
PRESSURE GRADIENT REQUIRES WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TO REMAIN
IN PLACE. SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT IN CONDITIONS THU. WILL BE BRIEF
BEFORE WARM FRONTAL SNOW FROM DEEP LOW TO THE S MOVES OVER.
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS LIKELY THU. AFTERNOON TO AT LEAST 12Z FRI
ST LAWRENCE AND BERING STRAIT AS OCCLUDED FRONT MOVES OVER.
SHORTER PERIOD OF AT LEAST BWA LEVEL WINDS AND SNOWFALL OVER
ZONES 211/212/214 THU NIGHT STILL NECESSITATE KEEPING WINTER
STORM WATCH IN PLACE. AT THIS POINT...EXPECT JUST WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY LEVEL SNOWFALL AND BLSN FOR CHUKCHI SEA COAST AND PAOT
AREA THU NIGHT AND FRI.

INTERIOR: WARMER PATTERN UNDERWAY. CLOUDS AND WARM AIR ADVECTION
IN SWRLY FLOW WILL KEEP HILL-SLOPE AND RIDGE TEMPERATURES WELL
ABOVE ZERO F TONIGHT...WHILE VALLEYS WILL CONTINUE WARMING TO
ABOVE ZERO F THU. LIGHT CHINOOK FLOW THU WILL STRENGTHEN FRI AS
RIDGING AMPLIFIES OVER ERN INTERIOR AND BERING LOW MOVES FURTHER
E. COULD SEE ADVISORY LEVEL CHINOOK WINDS AK RANGE PASSES FRI.
TEMPS. WILL WARM WELL INTO 20S THERE AND HILLS OVER INTERIOR FRI.
REMAINS OF BERING LOW/FRONTAL SYSTEM MAY BRING SOME -SN TO WRN
HALF INTERIOR SAT...BUT ONLY MINOR COOLING.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ210.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ213.

WINTER STORM WATCH FOR AKZ211-AKZ212-AKZ213-AKZ214.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225.
&&

MAR FEB 09

Event by event

4 winter storm, 2 blizzard, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: February 11, 11:16 PM AKST to February 14, 12:36 AM AKST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

Winter Storm, Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley

When: February 12, 6:53 AM AKST to February 13, 11:59 PM AKST
Where: Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Winter Storm, Lower Kobuk & Noatak Valleys

When: February 12, 9:16 AM AKST to February 13, 9:36 AM AKST
Where: Lower Kobuk & Noatak Valleys forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

Blizzard, Yukon Delta

When: February 12, 9:56 AM AKST to February 13, 3:05 AM AKST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWSS

Winter Storm, Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills

When: February 12, 10:16 AM AKST to February 13, 5:36 AM AKST
Where: Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: ASOS

Heavy Snow, Srn Seward Peninsula Coast

When: February 12, 3:30 PM AKST to February 13, 4:00 PM AKST
Where: Srn Seward Peninsula Coast forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 2 indirect
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Winter Storm, Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula

When: February 12, 10:44 PM AKST to February 14, 12:56 AM AKST
Where: Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

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.
Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, February 2009

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: 146894, 146890, 146889, 146895, 146893, 146892, 146891.