Blizzard in Alaska, February 25, 2009

Name: Blizzard in Alaska, February 25, 2009
Start: 2009-02-25T16:20
End: 2009-02-25T22:36
Location: Alaska

February 25, 2009 · NWS AFC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong low brought high wind and snow to the Bering Sea coast the evening of February 25th that produced blizzard conditions.

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 AFC wrote it up.

A strong low brought high wind and snow to the Bering Sea coast the evening of February 25th that produced blizzard conditions.

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 25, 3:00 PM AKST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 3:00 PM AKST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
300 PM AKST WED FEB 25 2009

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...AN IMPRESSIVE 985 MB LOW NEAR NUNIVAK
ISLAND WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST...BUCKLING A STRONG RIDGE CENTERED
ALONG THE ALCAN BORDER. THIS LOW PRODUCED WINDS TO 100 MPH IN THE
PRIBILOF ISLANDS AND CONTINUES WITH HURRICANE FORCE WINDS INTO
BRISTOL BAY. HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE WESTERN BERING WILL MOVE
QUICKLY BEHIND THE LOW BRINGING A BRIEF RESPIT TO THE WEATHER IN THE
BERING.

.MODEL DISCUSSION...MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE BIGGEST
CHANGE FROM YESTERDAY CENTERING AROUND TRACKING THE LOW IN THE
EASTERN BERING A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST. THE BIGGEST IMPACT TO
THIS POSITION CHANGE IS TO INCREASE THE COVERAGE OF SNOW ACROSS
SOUTHCENTRAL TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. BEYOND THIS TIME...THE GFS REMAINS
OUR MODEL OF CHOICE AS RIDGING POPS BACK UP IN THE EASTERN BERING
AHEAD OF ANOTHER POWERFUL FRONT MOVING INTO THE WESTERN BERING.

.SHORT TERM FORECAST...THE POWERFUL LOW MOVING ONTO THE KUSKOKWIM
DELTA WILL SPREAD HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONTO THE SW COAST THIS
EVENING. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE COAST WITH THE
POSSIBILITY FOR COASTAL FLOODING/EROSION AND ICE BUILD-UP.

THE ASSOCIATED FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVES ACROSS SOUTHCENTRAL OVERNIGHT
SPREADING SNOW IN ITS WAKE DUE TO MOIST S/SW FLOW AT ALL LEVELS OF
THE ATMOSPHERE. STRONG GAP WINDS DEVELOP AS COLD AIR SPILLS SOUTH
BEGINNING THURSDAY AFTERNOON. HIGH PRESSURE RE-ESTABLISHES ITSELF
OVER THE MAINLAND ON FRIDAY AHEAD OF THE NEXT PROGRESSIVE BERING SEA
FRONT. STORM FORCE WINDS WILL ONCE AGAIN ACCOMPANY THE NEXT FRONT AS
IT MARCHES ACROSS THE BRING ON THURSDAY. AS WITH ITS
PREDECESSOR...THIS FRONT SHOULD HAVE NO TROUBLE BREAKING DOWN THE
RIDGE AND BARRELING THROUGH SOUTHCENTRAL FRI NIGHT INTO SAT BRINGING
MORE SNOW TO THE REGION.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...BLIZZARD WARNING...155 161.
         MARINE...STORM 130 138 160 165 176 180 185.
                  GALE 120 132 140 141 150 155 170 172 175 179.
                  HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY 130 138 140 160 180 185.
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

JCA

Event by event

2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Bristol Bay

When: February 25, 4:20 PM AKST to 9:30 PM AKST
Where: Bristol Bay forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

Blizzard, Kuskokwim Delta

When: February 25, 6:00 PM AKST to 10:36 PM AKST
Where: Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

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

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: 148719, 148718.