Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, February 19 to 20, 2011

Name: Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, February 19 to 20, 2011
Start: 2011-02-19T05:56
End: 2011-02-20T19:00
Location: Alaska

February 19 to 20, 2011 · NWS AFG · 10 events in 7 counties and zones

A 966 mb low along the northern coast of Kamchatka at 0900AKST on the 19th moved into the Gulf of Anadyr as a 980 mb low at 0300AKST on the 20th. The low continued to gradually weaken to 988 mb in the southern Chukchi Sea by 1500AKST on the 20th.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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.

Zone 207: Blizzard conditions were observed from approximately 0330AKST through 0700AKST at Kivalina. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 42 kt (48 mph) at the Kivalina ASOS. Point Hope had a short period of blizzard conditions from approximately 0500AKST until 0616AKST.

Zone 209: Blizzard conditions were observed at Kotzebue from approximately 0100AKST through 1700AKST on the 20th. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 46 kt (53 mph) at the Kotzebue ASOS.

Zone 210: There were two periods of blizzard conditions at Buckland. The first occurred from approximately 0556AKST through 0930AKST on the 19th. The visibility was reduced to on quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 39 kt (45 mph) at the Buckland AWOS. A second period of blizzard conditions were observed from approximately 0216AKST through 0716AKST on the 20th. There was a peak wind gust of 35 kt (41 mph) at the Buckland AWOS. A period of blizzard conditions was also observed at Deering from approximately 2200AKST on the 19th through 0100AKST on the 20th. There was a peak wind gust of 44 kt (51 mph) at the Deering ASOS.

Zone 211: Heavy snowfall was observed at Nome with a storm total of 10.9 inches. The snow began at 1940AKST on the 19th and ended at 1834AKST on the 20th. The snow was accompanied by an east wind that gusted as high as 37 kt (43 mph) and produced areas of blowing snow with the visibility reduced to one quarter mile or less at times. Heavy snowfall was also observed at Golovin and the city offices estimated a storm total of 10 inches.

Zone 212: Heavy snow fell at Shaktoolik from the evening of the 19th through the afternoon of the 20th. The city offices in Shaktoolik estimated that a total of 9 inches of snow fell.

Zone 213: Blizzard conditions were observed on Saint Lawrence Island as well as along the Bering Staight coast during this event. At Savoonga, blizzard conditions were observed from 1556AKST on the 19th and continued until approximately 2200AKST. There was a break in the blizzard conditions overnight, however, they resumed around 0956AKST on the 20th and continued through approximately 1900AKST. There was a peak wind gust of 55 kt (63 mph) at the Savoonga AWOS. At Gambell, blizzard conditions were observed on the 19th from approximately 1516AKST through 2116AKST. There was a peak wind gust of 51 kt (59 mph) at the Gambell AWOS. At Teller, blizzard conditions were observed from approximately 2315AKST on the 19th through 0220AKST on the 20th, and then again on the 21st from 1120AKST through 1830AKST. There was a peak wind gust of 51 kt (59 mph) at the Teller AWSS. Blizzard conditions were also observed at Wales from approximately 1800AKST on the 19th through 0400AKST on the 20th. There was a peak wind gust of 73 kt (84 mph) at the Wales AWSS.

Zone 214: Blizzard conditons were observed at Emmonak from approximately 2100AKST on the 19th until 0001AKST on the 20th. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 40 kt (46 mph) at the Emmonak AWOS. Blizzard conditions were also observed at Scammon Bay from approximately 1500AKST through 2200AKST on the 19th. The visibility was reduced to less than one quarter mile in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 49 kt (57 mph) at the Scammon Bay AWSS.

Zone 215: Blizzard conditions were observed at Marshall from approximately 2230AKST on the 19th through 0216AKST on the 20th. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of |47 kt (54 mph) at the Marshall AWSS.

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 Feb 19, 1:26 AM AKST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 1:26 AM AKST, 4 hours 30 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
126 AM AKST SAT FEB 19 2011

.DISCUSSION...
CURRENT GFS/NAM/EUROPEAN RUNS ARE IN GENERALLY GOOD
AGREEMENT ON THE WEATHER SCENARIO OUT THROUGH MON.

WEAK SHORT WAVE TROUGH ALONG 160W MOVING EAST TO THE
ALCAN BORDER BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT...GRADUALLY WEAKENING
IN AMPLITUDE. A BRIEF DUSTING OF SNOW IN INTERIOR
AREAS WITH THIS FEATURE AS IT MOVES EAST.

LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE FLOW CONTINUING IN SOUTHEAST PARTS OF
AKZ224 AND CENTRAL/EASTERN AKZ226 THROUGH THIS EVENING WILL
PRODUCE A FEW INCHES OF SNOW.

965 MB STORM NOW JUST EAST OF THE CENTRAL KAMCHATKA
PENINSULA WEAKENING TO 977 MB OVER THE GULF OF
ANADYR BY 12Z SUN...AND TO 986 MB JUST WEST OF
KOTZEBUE SOUND BY 00Z MON. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
DEVELOPING ON ST LAWRENCE ISLAND AROUND 03Z SUN...
AND IN AKZ207-AKZ209 ABOUT 6 HOURS LATER.

ALL MODELS INDICATING SIGNIFICANT QPF WITH THIS
SYSTEM WITH SNOWFALL AMOUNTS UP TO AROUND 6 INCHES
EXPECTED OVER MOST WEST COAST ZONES AND IN AKZ215.
NORTHERN PARTS OF SEWARD PEN IN AKZ210 WILL HAVE
LESS SNOW DUE TO DOWNSLOPE.

SNOW SPREADING RAPIDLY INTO THE CENTRAL/EASTERN INTERIOR
SUN THROUGH SUN EVENING AS A FLAT HIGH SPEED WESTERLY
FLOW ALOFT PUNCHES EASTWARD BEHIND A SHORT WAVE RIDGE.
FAIRBANKS AREA COULD SEE UP TO AROUND 6 INCHES OF SNOW
DURING THE 36 HOUR PERIOD SUN THROUGH MON.

EXTENDED OUTLOOK...GFS/EURO BUILDING HIGH AMPLITUDE
RIDGE ALOFT OVER ALASKA BY WED WHICH IS EXPECTED
TO MOVE EASTWARD AND BREAK DOWN BY WED AS ANOTHER
SURGE OF MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW MOVES INTO THE
FORECAST AREA. TRACK AND TIMING OF SURFACE SYSTEMS
IS UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME...ONE OR TWO LOWS MAY TRAVEL
OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE EASTWARD ACROSS THE
ARCTIC...ANOTHER STORM POSSIBLE IN THE BERING FRIDAY.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR AKZ211-AKZ212-AKZ214-AKZ215.

BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ207-AKZ209-AKZ213.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ206-AKZ209-AKZ226.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225.
&&

RF FEB 11

Event by event

8 blizzard, 2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula

When: February 19, 5:56 AM AKST to 9:30 AM AKST
Where: Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

Blizzard, Yukon Delta

When: February 19, 3:00 PM AKST to February 20, 12:01 AM AKST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWSS

Blizzard, Yukon Delta

When: February 19, 3:00 PM AKST to February 20, 12:01 AM AKST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWSS

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: February 19, 3:16 PM AKST to February 20, 7:00 PM AKST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

Winter Storm, Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills

When: February 19, 6:00 PM AKST to February 20, 6:00 PM AKST
Where: Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills forecast zone
Reported by: Public

Winter Storm, Srn Seward Peninsula Coast

When: February 19, 7:40 PM AKST to February 20, 6:34 PM AKST
Where: Srn Seward Peninsula Coast forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Blizzard, Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula

When: February 19, 10:00 PM AKST to February 20, 1:00 AM AKST
Where: Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Blizzard, Lower Yukon Valley

When: February 19, 10:30 PM AKST to February 20, 2:16 AM AKST
Where: Lower Yukon Valley forecast zone
Reported by: AWSS

Blizzard, Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula

When: February 20, 2:16 AM AKST to 7:16 AM AKST
Where: Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

Blizzard, Chukchi Sea Coast

When: February 20, 3:30 AM AKST to 7:00 AM AKST
Where: Chukchi Sea Coast 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.
Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, February 2011

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: 274843, 274838, 274839, 274642, 274848, 274833, 274845, 274836, 274844, 274643.