Alaska, 2013

Heavy Snow in Alaska, February 13 to 14, 2013

February 13 to 14, 2013 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An inverted surface trough of low pressure extended north into the Lower Koyukuk and Middle Yukon Valley from a 982 mb low in the northern Gulf of Alaska at 0600AKST on the morning of the 14th. The low moved north and weakened to 994 mb in the western interior by 2300AKST on the 14th.

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.

An inverted surface trough of low pressure extended north into the Lower Koyukuk and Middle Yukon Valley from a 982 mb low in the northern Gulf of Alaska at 0600AKST on the morning of the 14th. The low moved north and weakened to 994 mb in the western interior by 2300AKST on the 14th. Heavy snowfall was observed in parts of the lower and middle Yukon Valleys.

Zone 215: Approximately 8 inches of snow was observed at the Anvik tribal Office. The snow continued through the morning on the 14th and tapered off during the afternoon.

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 13, 2:07 PM AKST, 9 hours 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 13, 2:07 PM AKST, 9 hours 49 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
207 PM AKST WED FEB 13 2013

.DISCUSSION...
AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS CURRENTLY LOCATED BETWEEN
ST LAWRENCE ISLAND AND SEWARD PENINSULA. THIS UPPER LEVEL LOW IS
FORECAST TO MOVE JUST SLIGHTLY TO THE NORTHWEST OVER THE NEXT 12
HOURS AND THEN SHIFT BACK TO THE EAST AND BE LOCATED OVER NOME BY
FRIDAY AFTERNOON. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT
THROUGH 48 HOUR FORECAST. THE NAM IS ALSO VERY SIMILAR BUT
DIVERGING FURTHER SOUTHWARD TRACK WITH THE UPPER LEVEL LOW LOCATED
NEAR THE YUKON DELTA BY FRIDAY NIGHT.

THERE IS ALSO AN UPPER LEVEL LOW THAT IS FORECASTED BY THE MODELS
TO DEVELOP OVER KODIAK ISLAND BY 18Z THURSDAY AND WEAKEN INTO A
SHORTWAVE. THE ENERGY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHORTWAVE WILL COMBINE
WITH THE UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER SEWARD PENINSULA AND FORECASTED TO
MOVE EASTWARD BY SATURDAY NIGHT.

AT THE SURFACE...THERE IS THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE CURRENTLY
LOCATED OVER THE SEWARD PENINSULA WITH A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT
EXTENDING ALONG THE BERING STRAIT. THIS LOW IS FORECASTED TO
WEAKEN SLIGHTLY BUT REMAIN LOCATED OVER THE SEWARD PENINSULA
THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS ANOTHER SURFACE LOW SOUTH OF THE
ALEUTIAN ISLANDS THAT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE TOWARDS KODIAK ISLAND BY
TOMORROW MORNING. THIS LOW WILL MOVE NORTHWARD TOWARD SOUTHERN
ALASKA...BRINGING ACTIVITY TOWARDS THE SOUTHERN INTERIOR FOR FRIDAY
AND SATURDAY.

WESTERN ALASKA...AS THE SURFACE LOW CONTINUES TO REMAIN OVER THE
SEWARD PENINSULA...THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BRING PERIODS OF SNOW AND
POOR CONDITIONS TO PORTIONS OF THE AREA. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY
REMAINS FOR THE BERING STRAIT COAST. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE
THROUGH THE EVENING...WHICH SHOULD ALLOW THE ADVISORY TO BE
CANCELLED OR EXPIRE AT 6 PM. HOWEVER...AS THE LOW CONTINUES TO
MEANDER OVER THE AREA WE EXPECT CONDITIONS TO WORSEN ON THURSDAY
AND THURSDAY NIGHT. IN PARTICULAR...THERE WILL BE A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORIES POSTED FOR BERING STRAIT FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES OF A
HALF MILE DUE TO BLOWING SNOW AND INCREASING WINDS UP TO 25 MPH.
ALSO EXPECT WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE LOWER YUKON VALLEY AS
EXPECT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW AND
VISIBILITIES AT HALF OF MILE AT TIME. CERTAINLY ANTICIPATE SIMILAR
CONDITIONS FOR THE NORTHERN AND INTERIOR SEWARD PENINSULA AND
NULATO HILLS...BUT THESE CONDITIONS ARE BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA.

NORTH SLOPE...RELATIVELY QUIET ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST AND NORTH
SLOPE AREA WITH JUST COOL TEMPERATURES IN PLACE. AS THE SURFACE
LOW OVER SEWARD PENINSULA BEGINS TO MOVE EASTWARD ON FRIDAY INTO
SATURDAY...THIS WILL BRING CHANCE OF SNOW TO THE NORTH SLOPE.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR...VERY MUCH A STRUGGLE TODAY ACROSS
SOME AREAS FOR MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES. FOR THE GREATER
FAIRBANKS...TEMPERATURES ARE CURRENTLY 10 TO 15F DEGREES COOLER
THAN ANTICIPATED...WHILE SOME AREAS ELSEWHERE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
EITHER BREAK THROUGH THE INVERSION OR HAVE WINDS THAT HAVE HELPED
TEMPERATURES REACH UP TO THE MID TEENS TO LOWER 20S. MORE
CONFIDENCE THAT FAIRBANKS AREA SHOULD BE ABLE TO BREAK THE
INVERSION TOMORROW. EXPECT WARMER TEMPERATURES TOMORROW...BUT THEN
TO DROP DOWN ON FRIDAY AS EXPECT CHANCE OF SNOW THROUGH SATURDAY.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ207-AKZ213-AKZ215.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225- PKZ230.

&&

MAK FEB 13

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Lower Yukon Valley

When
February 13, 11:56 PM AKST to February 14, 11:36 PM AKST
Where
Lower Yukon Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Public

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 2013

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: 437117.