Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, March 7 to 9, 2009

A 988 mb low south of the Aleutians at 3 pm on the 6th lifted north and deepened to 980 mb in the northern Bering Sea by 10 am on the 8th. A 1052 mb high across northern Alaska drifted slowly into western Canada during this time. The strong differences in pressure between the high and low produced strong winds and blizzard conditions along much of the west coast of Alaska.

Zone 201: Blizzard conditions were observed along the Chukchi Sea coast from the early afternoon of the 8th through the early afternoon of the 9th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The following peak wind gusts were observed during this event:

Wainwright ASOS: 54 mph/47kt|Atqasuk AWSS: 46 mph/40kt|Point Lay AWOS: 59 mph/51kt|Cape Lisbure AWOS: 53 mph/46kt

Zone 207: Blizzard conditions were observed along the Chukchi Sea coast from the afternoon hours on the 8th through the early morning hours on the 9th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow at Point Hope and Kivalina. A peak wind gust of 49 mph/43kt was observed at the Kivalina ASOS, and a peak wind gust of 46 mph/40kt was observed at the Point Hope AWOS.

Zone 209: Heavy snow and blowing snow were observed at Kotzebue from the morning hours on the 8th through the afternoon hours on the 9th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow, with frequent white-out conditions. A peak wind gust of 90 mph/78kt was observed at the Kotzebue ASOS. In addition, a total of 7.6 inches of snow as observed at the Kotzebue NWS office during this event.

Zone 210: Blizzard conditions were observed at Buckland during the late evening hours of the 8th through the morning hours of the 9th. The visibility was frequently one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The Buckland ASOS had a peak wind gust to 51 mph/44kt.

Zone 211: Blizzard conditions were observed at Nome from the early morning hours on the 8th until the early morning hours on the 9th. The visibility was frequently less than one quarter mile in heavy snow and blowing snow. The storm produced 15.5 inches of snow, which was an all-time daily record. The drifting snow as significant during this event, with drifts to roof tops. The airport at Nome was shut down for nearly a day. A peak wind gust of 49 mph/43kt was observed at the Nome ASOS during this event.

Zone 212: Blizzard conditions were observed at Saint Michael during the afternoon and evening hours on the 9th. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile in snow and blowing snow. A peak wind gust of 55 mph/48kt was observed at the Saint Michael AWSS.

Zone 213: Blizzard conditions were observed on Saint Lawrence Island from the evening hours on the 7th through the morning hours on the 8th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The blizzard conditions spread to the Bering Strait coast during the morning hours on the 8th, and continued into the afternoon. The following peak wind gusts were observed during this event:

Wales AWSS: 63 mph/55kt|Teller AWSS: 59 mph/51kt|Gambell AWOS: 54 mph/47kt|Savoonga AWOS: 52 mph/45kt

Zone 214: Blizzard conditions were observed along the Yukon Delta from the evening hours on the 7th through the early evening hours on the 8th. The blizzard conditions were first observed along the coast and spread inland during the early morning hours on the 8th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The following peak wind gusts were observed during this event:

Scammon Bay: 52 mph/45kt|Saint Mary's AWOS: 47 mph/41kt|Emmonak AWOS: 43 mph/37kt|Mountain Village AWSS: 39 mph/34kt (sustained wind, gusts not reported).