Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, March 4 to 6, 2009

A 978 mb low across the southern Aleutians at 3 am AKST on the 4th lifted northeast and deepened to 973 mb in the vicinity of Saint Lawrence Island by 3 am AKST on the 5th. The low tracked northeast to the Norton Sound by 9 pm AKST on the 5th, and weakened to 994 mb along the northwest coast of Alaska by 3 am AKST on the 6th. The storm brought blizzard conditions and heavy snowfall to portions of northern Alaska.

Zone 201: Blizzard conditions were observed at Wainwright from the afternoon hours of the 5th through the afternoon hours of the 6th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The peak wind gust was 45 mph/39kt at the Wainwright ASOS.

Zone 207: Blizzard conditions were observed at Kivalina during the late evening hours of the 4th into the afternoon hours of the 5th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile in snow and blowing snow. A peak wind gust of 47 mph/41kt was observed at the Kivalina ASOS. Blizzard conditions were also observed at Shishmaref during the late evening hours of the 4th into the early morning hours of the 5th. The visibility was reduced to one quarter of a mile or less. A peak wind gust of 40 mph/35kt was observed at the Shishmaref AWOS.

Zone 209: Blizzard conditions were observed in Kotzebue during the morning and early afternoon hours on the 5th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in heavy snow and blowing snow. The wind gusted as high as 51 mph/44kt at the Kotzebue ASOS.

Zone 210: Blizzard conditions were observed at Buckland during the evening hours on the 5th into the early morning hours on the 6th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile in snow and blowing snow. A peak wind gust to 39 mph/34kt was observed at the Buckland AWOS.

Zone 211: Blizzard conditions were observed at Nome during the evening hours of the 4th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile in heavy snow and blowing snow. A peak wind gust of 40 mph/35kt was observed at the Nome ASOS.

Zone 212: Blizzard conditions were observed at Koyuk during the late afternoon and evening hours on the 5th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust to 48 mph/42kt at the Koyuk AWOS. Blizzard conditions were also observed during this event at Unalakleet during the afternoon and early evening hours on the 4th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The wind gusted as high as 47 mph/41kt at the Unalakleet AWOS.

Zone 213: Blizzard conditions were observed at Gambell and Savoonga on Saint Lawrence Island during the late afternoon and evening hours on the 4th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter of a mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The wind gusted to 49 mph/43kt at the Savoonga AWOS, and to 55 mph/48kt at the Gambell AWOS. Along the Bering Strait coast, blizzard conditions were observed intermittently during the evening hours. The wind gusted to 45 mph/39kt at the Teller AWSS.

Zone 214: Blizzard conditions were observed at Saint Mary's during the afternoon of the 5th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The wind gusted as high as 59 mph/51kt at the Saint Mary's AWOS. Blizzard conditions were also observed at Scammon Bay. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in heavy snow and blowing snow. The wind gusted as high as 58 mph/50kt at the Scammon Bay AWSS.

Zone 215: Snow fell in the lower Yukon Valley during the early morning hours on the 4th through the early morning hours on the 6th. The snow likely fell heavily at times. It is estimated that 8 to 10 inches of snow fell based on the 8.4 inches that was observed in McGrath. There was also likely considerable blowing and drifting snow. The Marshall AWSS had a peak wind gust to 63 mph/55kt during this event, and the visibility was reduced to one quarter mile at times which created blizzard conditions at times.

Zone 217: Heavy snow fell in parts of the upper Kobuk Valley from the early morning hours on the 5th through the early morning hours on the 6th. A total of 8 inches of snow was observed at Kobuk. The visibility was frequently reduced to one half mile or less at the Ambler AWOS.

Zone 221: The storm system that brought heavy snow and blizzard conditions to much of northern Alaska produced high winds at Lake Minchumina late on the evening of the 5th into the early morning hours on the 6th. The wind downed tree branches and broke a window of a house on the south part of the lake.

Zone 222: Snow fell in the Middle Tanana Valley from late on the evening of the 4th through the evening of the 5th. Some of the snow fell heavily at times on the 5th. A total of 9.0 inches of snow fell at the Fairbanks International Airport on the 5th, with a storm total of 10.6 inches. The snowfall on the 5th was the 5th greatest calendar day snowfall ever observed in Fairbanks during the month of March. The heavy snow led to numerous traffic accidents in and around Fairbanks. Strong winds on the 6th with wind gusts to 40 mph led to significant blowing and drifting snow. The wind gust to 40 mph was the strongest observed during the winter months at Fairbanks since 2005.