Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, February 22 to 26, 2011

A 968 mb low in the central Bering Sea at 2100AKST on the 23rd moved to the Gulf of Anadyr as a 976 mb low at 0900AKST on the 24th. The low tracked to the northeast as a 978 mb low in the southern Chukchi Sea at 2100AKST on the 24th. The low then tracked to the east and passed just south of Banks Island as a 980 mb low by 0900AKST on the 25th. The storm produced widespread blizzard conditions along the west coast as well as the arctic coast and heavy snowfall and high winds in parts of the interior. There were also areas of flooding and high water observed along parts of the west coast.

Zone 201: Blizzard conditions were observed at Atqasuk from approximately 0756AKST through 1809AKST on the 23rd and the visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 51 kt (59 mph) at the Atqasuk AWSS. Another period of blizzard conditions were observed at Atqasuk from 0119AKST through 1740AKST on the 25th. There was a peak wind gust of 58 kt (67 mph) at the Atqasuk AWSS. Blizzard conditions were observed at Wainwright from 1006AKST through 1553AKST on the 23rd. There was a peak wind gust of 54 kt (62 mph) at the Wainwright ASOS. A second period of blizzard conditions was observed from 0027AKST through 1400AKST on the 25th. There was a peak wind gust of 58 kt (67 mph) at the Wainwright ASOS. Blizzard conditions were also observed at Cape Lisburne from approximately 2330AKST on the 22nd through 0700AKST on the 23rd. There was peak wind gust of 63kt (72 mph) at the Cape Lisburne AWOS. There was a second period of blizzard conditions from approximately 1055AKST through 1555AKST on the 24th. There was a peak wind gust of 53 kt (61 mph) at the Cape Lisburne AWOS.

Zone 202: Blizzard conditions were observed at Barrow from approximately 0543AKST through 1808AKST on the 23rd. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 62 kt (71 mph) at the Barrow ASOS. There was a second period of blizzard conditions from approximately 0143AKST through 1653AKST on the 25th. There was a peak wind gust of 54 kt (62 mph) at the Barrow ASOS. During the second period of blizzard conditions, there were short intervals when the visibility improved to one half to one mile, but the blizzard conditions predominated during the second event.

Zone 203: Blizzard conditions were observed at Deadhorse from approximately 0427AKST through 1853AKST on the 25th. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 59 kt (68 mph) at the Deadhorse ASOS. Blizzard conditions were observed at the Deadhorse Alpine Airstrip from approximately 0852AKST through 1546AKST on the 25th. There was a peak wind gust of 54kt (62 mph) at the Deadhorse SAWRS. Blizzard conditions were also observed at Nuiqsut from approximately 0436AKST through 1753AKST on the 25th. Reports from the DOT indicated that conditions along the Dalton Highway in the Deadhorse section from MP 356-415 were so severe that crews have pulled off the road due to zero visibility in extreme white-outs.

Zone 204: Severe blizzard conditions were observed at Barter Island from approximately 0631AKST on the 25th through 2030AKST on the 26th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. According to public reports from the village the visibility was frequently zero and the snow drifts were all the way to the top of houses. The AWSS had a peak wind gust of 57 kt (66 mph), however, there were reports of wind gusts as high as 91 mph in the village, but no information is available as far as the instrumentation or siting of the equipment that reported this extreme wind gust.

Zone 205: Blizzard conditions likely occurred at times on the 24th into the 25th. This is based on conditions observed in passes of the northeastern Brooks Range (Atigun Pass) as well as south of zone 205 where drifts of 10 to 15 feet were observed at Noatak. The road to the Red Dog Mine was still drifted shut a few days after the end of the event. There was a peak wind gust of 41 kt (47 mph) observed at the Umiat Airfield.

Zone 206: Blizzard conditions likely occurred at times along the Dalton Highway including Atigun Pass on the 23rd through the 25th. According to reports from the DOT there was blowing and heavy drifting snow with the visibility reduced to zero at times with 4 to 8 inches of new snow reported on the afternoon of the 24th. Winds were estimated at 40 to 50 mph by the DOT. The DOT essentially closed the road through the Atigun pass area on the 23rd...with a number of truckers stuck on both sides waiting out the storm. There was a peak wind gust of 50 kt (58 mph) observed at the Atigun Pass SNOTEL during the evening hours on the 25th. By the 26th, avalanche warnings were issued for Atigun Pass.

Zone 207: Blizzard conditions were observed at Point Hope from approximately 1522AKST on the 22nd through 0830AKST on the 23rd. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 54 kt (62 mph) at the Point hope AWOS. According to local law enforcement, the snow drifts were higher than the patrol vehicle and the snow was blowing sideways and impossible to measure. The village was shut down at times on the 23rd through the 25th due to the poor visibilities.

At Kivalina, the city offices observed snow drifts that were 8 feet deep and the city offices were closed on the 25th. Ice came up on the beach, but did not cause any damage to homes or structures near the beach. Blizzard conditions were observed at the Kivalina ASOS from approximately 1946AKST through 2330AKST on the 24th with the visibility reduced to one quarter mile in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 49 kt (57 mph) at the Kivalina ASOS.

At Shishmaref, the city offices observed that there were large snow drifts, but there was no estimate as to how much snow fell or how deep the snow drifts were.

It should be noted, although two distinct periods of blizzard conditions were observed at the Point Hope AWOS and the Kivalina ASOS, it is likely that a prolonged period of near blizzard conditions occurred from the afternoon of the 22nd through the morning hours on the 25th.

Zone 208: According to the city office in Noatak, significant snow fell during this event, but it was impossible to measure due to extensive drifting. There were snow drifts 10 to 15 feet deep. According to the Red Dog Mine, the road to the mine was still drifted shut a few days after the event, but there was no estimate on how much snow fell. Based on the observations from Noatak, the snow likely began during the evening hours on the 22nd and continued until the early morning hours on the 25th. It is likely that snowfall amounts in excess of 1 foot were observed in spots, but due to extensive blowing and drifting snow and near blizzard conditions it was impossible to get a snowfall measurement. The winds at Noatak gusted as high as 40 kt/46 mph during the afternoon of the 24th.

Zone 209: A total of 13.4 inches of snow fell at Kotzebue from the morning of the 22nd through the early afternoon on the 25th. The majority of the snow fell on the 23rd when there was a total of 8.5 inches of snow. The snow was accompanied by winds that gusted as high as 51 kt (59 mph) and produced extensive blowing and drifting snow and at times produced blizzard conditions. Two city light poles were knocked down during the storm.

Zone 210: Blizzard conditions were observed at Buckland from approximately |1236AKST through 2056AKST on the 25th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of |53 kt (61 mph) at the Buckland AWOS. According to the city offices there were snow drifts approximately 3 feet deep. It was impossible to measure the snowfall due to the extensive blowing and drifting snow.

At Deering, blizzard conditions were observed from approximately 0918 AKSTthrough 1853AKST. There was a peak wind gust of 60 kt (69 mph) at the Deering ASOS. According to reports from the city offices the snow drifts were 2 to 3 feet deep and it was impossible to measure the snowfall due to the extensive blowing and drifting snow.

It should be noted that this was a long duration event, and in addition to the blizzard conditions mentioned above there were prolonged periods from the 23rd through the 25th when there were near blizzard conditions.

Zone 211: The city office in Golovin reported a storm total of 10 inches of snow with severe blowing snow. School started late on both the 24th and 25th due to the snow and blowing snow. The visibility at the Golovin AWOS was frequently reduced to one half mile or less from the early morning hours through the early afternoon hours on the 23rd, and again during the afternoon hours on the 24th. The wind gusted as high as 50 kt (58 mph) at the Golovin AWOS during the afternoon of the 24th. At Nome, a storm total of 3.4 inches of snow was observed during this event. According to the city office, rising water reached the old airstrip and water was reported to be rising during the event in bays and along the coast according to state emergency personnel.

Zone 212: Blizzard conditions were observed at Koyuk from approximately 0856AKST through 1500AKST on the 24th. The visibility at the Koyuk AWOS was frequently reduced to one quarter mile in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 34kt (39 mph) at the Koyuk AWOS.

Zone 213: Blizzard conditions were observed at Gambell from approximately 1656AKST on the 22nd through 0156AKST on the 23rd. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 43 kt (49 mph) at the Gambell AWOS.

There were two periods of blizzard conditions at Savoonga. The first occurred from approximately 1016AKST on the 22nd through 0416AKST on the 23rd. There was a peak wind gust of 55 kt (63 mph) at the Savoonga AWOS. The second period of blizzard conditions was observed from approximately 1330AKST through 1630AKST on the 24th. There was a peak wind gust of 64 kt (74 mph) at the Savoonga AWOS. It should be noted that in between the blizzard conditions, there continued to be wind gusts in excess of 60 mph at times, however, due to temperatures that were above freezing the blowing snow was significantly reduced. Wales, which is located along the Bering Strait Coast had a wind gust to 53 kt (61 mph) during the early morning hours on the 24th, and Tin City had a wind gust to 52 kt (60 mph) during the morning hours on the 24th. Temperatures were a little above freezing at the time, which limited the amount of blowing snow and blizzard conditions, if they occurred were only very short in duration. There were reports that the high winds caused water and ice to flow over roads in both Teller and Brevig Mission.

Zone 214: Blizzard conditions were observed at Saint Mary’s from approximately 1136AKST through 1636AKST on the 24th. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 47kt (54 mph) at the Saint Mary’s AWOS. The Pitkas Point Native Corporation in Saint Mary’s estimated that the snow drifts were 3 to 4 feet deep and confirmed that there were blizzard conditions in the village. There was a report from the City of Saint Mary’s that the snowfall was a little more than 1 foot and that the snow drifts were 4 to 5 feet deep. The power went out to parts of the village during the first 12 hours of the storm. The city office in Emmonak indicated that there were blizzard conditions during this storm. The visibility at the Emmonak AWOS remained one half mile or better; however, there were wind gusts as high as 57 kt (64 mph) at the onset of the storm during the late morning of the 24th. The city office indicated that there was high water due to overflow during the storm, but there were no reports of flooding.

Zone 215: The city office in Marshall reported 8 inches of heavy wet snow. The snow was accompanied by winds that were estimated to be 30 to 40 mph and |produced brief white-out conditions. The AWSS at Marshall observed a peak wind gust of 50 kt (58 mph). Temperatures were near or a little above freezing during the event which did limit the blowing snow and prevented any sustained blizzard conditions. The tribal council in Anvik also reported 8 inches of heavy wet snow. The snow was accompanied by winds that were estimated to be around 30 mph and produced very poor visibility at times. The Anvik AWOS had a peak wind gust of |31 kt (36 mph). It is likely that the snow mixed with or changed over to rain and/or freezing rain in areas across the lower Yukon Valley during the afternoon and evening hours on the 24th.

Zone 216: It is estimated that 6 to 8 inches of snow fell at Ruby. The snow began approximately 1826AKST on the 24th, and the majority of the accumulating snow ended by 1426AKST on the 25th. Winds gusting to 33 kt (38 mph) likely produced some blowing and drifting snow. Galena received only 1 inch of snow from this storm, however, there was a notable wind gust of 45 kt (52 mph) late on the evening of the 24th.

Zone 217: Heavy snow was observed at Shungnak and the school estimated that |6 to 10 inches of snow fell during the storm. At the onset of the storm, blizzard conditions were observed from 0957AKST through 1757AKST on the 22nd. 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 Shungnak AWSS. The snow continued to fall at times through the early evening of the 25th.

Zone 218: Blizzard conditions were observed at Chandalar Lake from approximately 0300AKST through 0730AKST on the 25th. The visibility was reduced to zero in white-out conditions in blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 47 kt (54 mph). It is likely that blizzard conditions occurred at times along parts of the Dalton Highway from the 23rd through the 25th based on reports from the DOT. At Arctic Village approximately 2 inches of snow fell, but the wind gusted as high as 35 kt (40 mph) during the early morning hours on the 25th and reduced the visibility in blowing snow.

Zone 219: Heavy snowfall was observed on Bettles on the 23rd into the 24th. A total of 11.6 inches of snow fell on the 23rd, with an additional 9.9 inches on the 24th. Both were new daily snowfall records. A total of 21.5 inches of snow fell during the two days, and this was the 2nd highest two-day snowfall on record at Bettles. When the snow ended on the morning of the 25th the storm total for the event was 24 inches. Temperatures warmed up significantly on the 24th, and there was even a bit of freezing rain. As the snow ended on the morning of the 25th, the wind picked up out of the southwest with gusts as high as 32 kt (37 mph), which produced areas of blowing snow as the temperature began to fall.

Zone 220: Blizzard conditions likely occurred along the Steese and Dalton Highway Summits. The Steese Highway was closed in areas from 12 mile to Eagle Summit by the evening of the 25th due to extensive blowing and drifting snow and high winds. The Dalton Highway remained open, but travel was not advised. It is likely that winds gusted to at least 52kt (60 mph) across the higher summits.

Zone 221: A total of 6 to 8 inches of snow was reported by the weather observer in Tanana on the 25th. The snowfall was estimated due to blowing and drifting snow. The visibility was briefly reduced to one quarter mile at times in a few heavier bursts of snow. There was a peak wind gust of 35 kt (40 mph) at the Tanana ASOS. There were reports in Manley Hot Springs that many trees were blown over across the trails and that there were snow drifts up to 3 feet deep. In Nenana, branches were snapped off of birch trees and the power went on and off several times during the day.

Zone 222: A total of 5.2 inches of snow fell at the Fairbanks International Airport, with most of the snow falling from Midnight through 0600AKST on the 25th. Most areas around Fairbanks observed from 3 to 6 inches of heavy wet snow. The highest total of 9 inches was observed at MP 42 along the Steese Highway. After a break in the snow during the morning hours, bands of locally heavy snow showers developed during the afternoon. The snow showers combined with very strong wind to produce localized blizzard conditions for short periods of time. Sustained wind speeds of 25 to 35 mph were common, with frequent gusts to 39 kt (45 mph) and a peak wind gust of 46 kt (53 mph). This was the strongest wind gust observed in Fairbanks during the winter months since at least 1984. The strong wind produced significant blowing and drifting snow, however, due to the heavy wet snow and temperatures that warmed to freezing during the morning the blowing and drifting was not as severe as it would have been had temperatures remained colder. There were numerous power outages in the Fairbanks area, but most outages did not last for more than several hours, and the relatively mild temperatures during the storm helped to mitigate any cold weather impacts from the power outages. Many trees were toppled during the storm, and parts of the Steese Highway to the north of Fairbanks were closed due to extensive drifting snow. Numerous traffic accidents were caused by the slick roads and poor visibility. There were reports of at least a couple of small aircraft that sustained damage due to the strong winds. Several business had their signs damaged from the windstorm.

Zone 225: Heavy snow fell at Denali National Park Headquarters. The snow began approximately 2200AKST on the 24th and ended around 0800AKST on the 26th. There was a storm total of 17 inches.