Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, February 19 to 23, 2013

Name: Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, February 19 to 23, 2013
Start: 2013-02-19T11:56
End: 2013-02-23T11:36
Location: Alaska

February 19 to 23, 2013 · NWS AFC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A complex weather pattern set up over southern Alaska February 19th through 23rd where a series of triple point lows developed along the jet stream south of the Alaska Peninsula. These lows each deepened rapidly and tracked into the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 AFC wrote it up.

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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 19, 5:25 AM AKST, 6 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 5:25 AM AKST, 6 hours 31 minutes before

SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
525 AM AKST TUE FEB 19 2013

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
A SERIES OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS ARE CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH THE
BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS. THE FIRST...AND DEEPEST...IS
CENTERED WELL NORTH OF SHEMYA AND TRACKING OFF TO THE WEST. THIS IS
IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT DEVELOPING LOW MOVING TOWARDS THE EASTERN
ALEUTIANS AND ALASKA PENINSULA. THE DEVELOPING LOW WILL BECOME THE
NEXT WEATHER MAKER FOR THE SOUTHERN MAINLAND IS IT MOVES IN THE GULF
LATE THIS EVENING. A RIDGE OVER THE INTERIOR CONTINUES TO HOLD...BUT
WILL BEGIN TO SLIDE NORTHWARD TODAY.

.MODEL DISCUSSION...
THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE SHORT TERM WITH REGARDS TO
THE GENERAL SYNOPTIC FEATURES. ONE DISAGREEMENT THEY DO HAVE IS WITH
HOW MUCH PRECIPITATION TO BRING INTO THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA THIS
EVENING. THE NAM/GFS/WRF ARE MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE IN BRINGING
PRECIPITATION TO MUCH OF THE DELTA...WHILE THE EC KEEPS IT MOSTLY IN
BRISTOL BAY. THE MORNING FORECAST PACKAGE PREFERED THE MORE
AGGRESSIVE NAM/GFS/WRF. DISAGREEMENTS THEN CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY
WITH A SECONDARY LOW THAT FORMS BEHIND THE EASTERN ALEUTIAN LOW AS IT
MOVES INTO THE GULF. THE NAM LOOKS TO BE TOO AGGRESSIVE WITH RAPIDLY
DEEPENING THIS LOW...WHILE THE GFS/EC KEEP THIS AS A WEAK LOW OR WAVE
THROUGHOUT THE EVENT.

.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
.SOUTHCENTRAL...SOUTHCENTRAL WILL SEE A SHORT LIVED PERIOD OF QUIET
WEATHER TODAY...BUT THEN COASTAL AREAS WILL SEE ANOTHER ROUND OF WET
AND WINDY WEATHER THIS EVENING AS THE EASTERN ALEUTIAN LOW MOVES INTO
THE GULF. DOWNSLOPING WILL OCCUR FROM THE NORTHERN KENAI
PENINSULA...ANCHORAGE BOWL...AND MATANUSKA VALLEY FROM THIS
SYSTEM...WHICH SHOULD LIMIT PRECIPITATION TO VERY LITTLE. THE BIGGER
ISSUE THIS EVENING WILL BE WITH STRONG WINDS ALONG TURNAGAIN ARM.
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE FOR EASTERN TURNAGAIN ARM AND
PORTAGE VALLEY THIS EVENING.

.SOUTHWEST...THE RAPIDLY DEEPENING EASTERN ALEUTIAN LOW WILL QUICKLY
SPREAD SNOW AND WIND FROM THE SOUTH STARTING WITH BRISTOL BAY THIS
MORNING...THEN SPREADING TO AREAS OF THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA BY
AFTERNOON. DUE TO THE SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION AND BLOWING SNOW CONCERNS
FOR BRISTOL BAY...A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED THROUGH THIS
EVENING. THE HIGHEST ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED WEST OF KING SALMON
FROM THIS SYSTEM...WHICH IS THE SAME AREA THAT WILL EXPERIENCE GUSTY
NORTH WINDS. ANOTHER CONCERN FROM THIS LOW IS WITH POSSIBLE HIGH
WINDS ALONG THE ALASKA PENINSULA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE
EVENING.

.BERING SEA AND ALEUTIANS...MOST OF THE ACTIVE WEATHER ON THE SHORT
TERM WILL BE CENTERED OVER THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS TODAY. SIMILAR TO
THE ALASKA PENINSULA...HIGH NORTHERLY WINDS ARE A POSSIBILITY
TODAY...ESPECIALLY FOR THE CHANNELED TERRAIN NEAR DUTCH HARBOR.
OTHERWISE THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN ALEUTIANS WILL HAVE CONTINUED
SOUTHERLY FLOW AND SHOWERS AS A SERIES OF WESTERN BERING LOWS PASS
THROUGH THE AREA OVER THE NEXT 24 HRS.

.LONG TERM FORECAST...
IT STILL APPEARS THAT THE WEATHER PATTERN LATE THIS WEEK WILL BECOME
LESS ACTIVE THAN THE CURRENT ONE. THIS WILL OCCUR AS A PACIFIC RIDGE
NOSES NORTHWARD...PREVENTING ANY DEEP OR FAST MOVING SYSTEMS INTO THE
AREA.  THIS SETUP LOOKS TO THEN BREAK DOWN EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THE
PACIFIC RIDGE MOVES OVER THE WESTERN COAST OF THE CONTINENTAL UNITED
STATES.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...WINTER STORM WARNING 161
MARINE...STORM...150 155 170
         GALE...120 125 130 132 138 140 160 165 171 172 175 176 185
         HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY...140 141 165
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

DEK FEB 13

Event by event

1 winter storm, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Bristol Bay

When: February 19, 11:56 AM AKST to 5:56 PM AKST
Where: Bristol Bay forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

As the 976 mb low passed south of Bristol Bay during the day on February 19th it put the zone in cold air advection which enhanced the already strong pressure gradient and dynamic lifting. This resulted in at least six location reporting heavy and/or blowing snow of 1/4 mile visibility. King Salmon recorded its daily snowfall record with a value of 5.7 inches. King Salmon also reported Blizzard or near Blizzard conditions for three hours. Dillingham reported Blizzard conditions from around noon until almost 5 PM AKST that afternoon with the most severe condition at 12:46 PM with north winds 31 gusting 43 MPH producing 1/4 mile visibility in heavy snow and blowing snow. Manokotak (PAMB) also reported blizzard conditions from around noon until almost 6 PM with the most severe conditions being at 2:56 PM with Northeast winds 34 gusting 41 mph producing 1/4 mile visibility in snow and blowing snow. |There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Blizzard, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns

When: February 23, 8:36 AM AKST to 11:36 AM AKST
Where: Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

This was a typical Blizzard situation in Portage Valley with strong east to southeast winds coming through Portage pass and heavy snowfall with the passing of a front from the south. This event began with light snow and strong winds. The wind came down as snowfall rate was increasing. While the winds dropped below blizzard criteria before the end of the event the heavy snowfall rate combined with the winds that were occurring likely kept white-out conditions in the area for the duration of the event. There were no reported injuries and no reported damage.

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 435897, 435899.