Blizzard in Alaska, February 7, 2009

Name: Blizzard in Alaska, February 7, 2009
Start: 2009-02-07T07:00
End: 2009-02-07T17:00
Location: Alaska

February 7, 2009 · NWS AFC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Gusty northwest wind around the west side of a strong low combined with snow produced blizzard conditions across the Kuskokwim Delta and along the Alaska Peninsula.

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.

Gusty northwest wind around the west side of a strong low combined with snow produced blizzard conditions across the Kuskokwim Delta and along the Alaska Peninsula.

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 7, 5:00 AM AKST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 7, 5:00 AM AKST, 2 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
500 AM AKST SAT FEB 7 2009

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
AT THE SURFACE...A 987 MB LOW IS LOCATED IN THE EASTERN GULF OF
ALASKA. A 994 MB LOW IS WEAKENING OVER THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA...WITH A
COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHWARD OVER BRISTOL BAY AND THE ALASKA
PENINSULA. A FRONT LOCATED WELL AHEAD OF A NORTH PACIFIC LOW IS
APPROACHING THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS.

IN THE UPPER LEVELS...A TROUGH IS OVER THE THE EASTERN BERING SEA AND
WESTERN MAINLAND. A RIDGE IS OVER THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS AND BERING
SEA. ELSEWHERE...SOUTHWEST FLOW IS PRESENT OVER THE EASTERN MAINLAND
AND GULF OF ALASKA.

.MODEL DISCUSSION...
MODELS ARE IN BETTER AGREEMENT TONIGHT THAN LAST NIGHT...WITH GENERAL
AGREEMENT THROUGH 12Z MONDAY. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES ARISE BY 00Z
TUESDAY. MAIN DISAGREEMENTS PERTAIN TO THE EVOLUTION OF THE NORTH
PACIFIC LOW APPROACHING THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS EARLY IN THE WEEK.
MODELS ARE ALSO HAVING PROBLEMS DISCERNING THE DEVELOPMENT AND
SUBSEQUENT EVOLUTION OF A TRIPLE POINT LOW IN THE GULF ON MONDAY.
FORECASTS THROUGH MONDAY WERE CONSTRUCTED USING A GFS/NAM BLEND FOR
CONSISTENCY.

.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
.SOUTHCENTRAL...
MAIN FORECAST PROBLEM ACROSS SOUTHCENTRAL IN THE SHORT TERM IS FOG
FORMATION ALONG COOK INLET AND THE MATANUSKA VALLEY. FOG SHOULD
GENERALLY BE ON THE DECREASE AS THE DAY WEARS ON...WITH REFORMATION
TONIGHT IN THE SAME AREAS. KODIAK ISLAND WILL SEE AN INCREASED THREAT
OF SNOW SHOWERS TODAY AS THE UPPER TROUGH SWINGS THROUGH...WITH LIGHT
ACCUMULATIONS AND IMPROVING CONDITIONS BY TONIGHT. OTHERWISE EXPECT
TRANQUIL CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION WITH MOSTLY TO PARTLY CLOUDY
SKIES...AND LIGHT WINDS THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEKEND.

.SOUTHWEST...
SNOW SHOWERS AND GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
TONIGHT AS THE LOW OVER THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY DISSIPATES. THE UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH IS ALSO TRANSLATING EASTWARD...ACTING TO SYNOPTICALLY
ENHANCE SNOWFALL. SNOW ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST MAINLAND WILL BE HEAVIEST
ACROSS THE ALASKA PENINSULA...WHERE CONDITIONS WILL BEGIN IMPROVING
BY TONIGHT AFTER THE TROUGH PASSES. SUNDAY WILL SEE A DWINDLING
CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS...WITH LIGHTER WINDS AND CLEARING SKIES.

.BERING SEA AND ALEUTIANS...
THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONT WILL SPREAD RAIN AND SNOW THROUGH THE
WESTERN ALEUTIANS TODAY...ALONG WITH STRONG EASTERLY WINDS. THE FRONT
WILL PROGRESS ACROSS THE ALEUTIANS...AFFECTING THE CENTRAL ISLANDS
TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY AND THE EASTERN ISLANDS SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY.
PRECIPITATION WILL REMAIN ALL SNOW IN THE PRIBILOFS...BUT WILL NOT BE
AS WIDESPREAD AS OVER THE ALEUTIANS.

.LONG TERM FORECAST...
THE TRIPLE POINT LOW DEVELOPING IN THE GULF ON MONDAY WILL DIVE
SOUTHEASTWARD TOWARD THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. A QUASI STATIONARY LOW
WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NORTHERN GULF WEDNESDAY...AND PERSIST THROUGH
THURSDAY. ANOTHER NORTH PACIFIC LOW WILL IMPACT THE ALEUTIANS AND
BERING SEA MID TO LATE WEEK.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING 191
MARINE...STORM 175 176
         GALE 130 132 150 155 160 165 170 172
         HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY 121 129 150 155 165 179
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

NRH FEB 09

Event by event

2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Kuskokwim Delta

When: February 7, 7:00 AM AKST to 5:00 PM AKST
Where: Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

Blizzard, Alaska Peninsula

When: February 7, 7:00 AM AKST to 5:00 PM AKST
Where: Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

The King Cove visibility dropped out when the peak of the event was occurring. Web cameras from King Cove showed blizzard conditions.

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: 144794, 144797.