Alaska, 2009

Blizzard in Alaska, March 29, 2009

March 29, 2009 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A 964 mb low in Bristol Bay at 4 am on the 29th lifted to the north and weakened to 977 mb across the Yukon Delta by the evening hours of the 30th. Ahead of the low, snow and blowing snow reduced the visibility to one quarter mile or less at Wales during the afternoon and evening hours of the 29th.

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.

A 964 mb low in Bristol Bay at 4 am on the 29th lifted to the north and weakened to 977 mb across the Yukon Delta by the evening hours of the 30th. Ahead of the low, snow and blowing snow reduced the visibility to one quarter mile or less at Wales during the afternoon and evening hours of the 29th. A northeast wind of 35 to 45 mph was observed at the Wales AWSS with a peak wind gust of 48 mph/42kt.

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, 2:15 PM AKST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 29, 2:15 PM AKST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
315 PM AKDT SUN MAR 29 2009

.DISCUSSION...
974 MB LOW NEAR KUSKOKWIM BAY AT IS EXPECTED TO FILL RAPIDLY
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THERE ARE ONLY MINOR DIFFERENCES
IN MODEL FORECAST POSITIONS FOR 00Z TUE...LOW CENTER PROGGED
TO FILL TO AROUND 990 MB NEAR GOLOVIN BY 00Z TUE. MODEL
FORECASTS FOR 00Z WED ARE SIMILAR WITH THE LOW FILLING
TO AROUND 1000 MB NEAR CAPE LISBURNE.

STORM TOTAL TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS OF AS MUCH AS 6 INCHES
ARE EXPECTED IN ZONES 212-215-216 AND AS MUCH AS 5 INCHES
IN ZONES 211-213.

WINDS ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH
RAPIDLY MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AS THE LOW FILLS.

AFTER THE LOW FILLS...A RELATIVELY QUIET PATTERN IS
EXPECTED FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK. ALL MODELS INDICATING
TYPICAL MIDWINTER TEMPERATURES ALOFT PERSISTING THROUGH
THE WEEK...WITH 850 MB TEMPERATURES MAINLY IN THE
RANGE FROM -10C TO -20C. 500 MB HEIGHTS WILL REMAIN
BELOW NORMAL. SOME LIGHT SNOW OR FLURRIES MAY OCCUR AT
TIMES AS SEVERAL SHORT WAVES MOVE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA.
CERTAINLY AT THIS TIME THERE IS NO INDICATION OF ANY EARLY
SPRING WARMUP WITHIN THE NEXT 8-10 DAYS.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ202-AKZ203.

WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ223-AKZ225-AKZ226.

WIND CHILL WARNING FOR AKZ201.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ211-AKZ213-AKZ215-AKZ216.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230-PKZ235-
PKZ240-PKZ245.
&&

RF MAR 09

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When
March 29, 3:28 PM AKST to 11:24 PM AKST
Where
St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by
AWSS

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 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, March 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: 152639.