Name: Extreme Cold in Alaska, February 21 to 23, 2013
Start: 2013-02-21T09:13
End: 2013-02-23T13:53
Location: 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 AFG wrote it up.

A strong 1045 mb high pressure center over the Arctic Ocean produced strong winds along the North Slope. Temperatures of 30 to 45 below zero combined with a northeast wind of around 15 mph to produce wind chills as low as 64 below at the Nuiqsut ASOS in zone 203. A wind chill of 72 below was recorded at the Anaktuvuk Pass AWOS in zone 206.

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 21, 5:30 AM AKST, 3 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 21, 5:30 AM AKST, 3 hours 43 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
530 AM AKST THU FEB 21 2013

.DISCUSSION...
MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT THROUGH 48 HOURS. UPPER LOW WITH
ASSOCIATED LONG WAVE TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE WESTWARD WHERE
THE CENTER WILL BE LOCATED NEAR KOTZEBUE BY FRI AFTERNOON. THIS
WILL EFFECTIVELY PULL COLD AIR IN OVER ALL OF NORTHERN ALASKA WITH
THE COLDEST TO STILL BE BOTTLED UP NORTH OF THE BROOKS RANGE.

FAIRLY WEAK SOUTHERLY FLOW OVER THE NORTHERN INTERIOR WILL PROVIDE
DISORGANIZED OVERRUNNING SNOW SHOWERS THROUGH FRIDAY...MAINLY OVER
THE EASTERN INTERIOR THOUGH WITH THE WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH
MOVING NORTH ROM THE GULF OF ALASKA.

THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL PUSH SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS TO THE
ARCTIC COAST BY SAT AFTERNOON.

CONTINUAL SHORT WAVER TROUGHS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHWARD
THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH JUST ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS.

GIVEN THE LARGE HIGH IN THE HIGH ARCTIC...THE GRADIENT ALONG THE
ARCTIC COAST AND PORTIONS OF THE WEST COAST IS CAUSING WIND CHILL
ISSUES IN THESE LOCATIONS. LOW WIND CHILLS SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH
AT LEAST EARLY FRI MORNING. THE GRADIENT REMAINS TIGHT OVER THE
CENTRAL INTERIOR AS WELL WHICH IS CREATING HAVOC OVER PASSES SUCH
AS EAGLE SUMMIT.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ202-AKZ204-AKZ207.

WIND CHILL WARNING FOR AKZ201-AKZ203.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ205-AKZ219-AKZ220.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230-
PKZ235-PKZ240-PKZ245.
&&

CF FEB 13

Event by event

2 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When: February 21, 9:13 AM AKST to February 23, 1:53 PM AKST
Where: Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, N. Brooks Rng E of Colville R

When: February 21, 4:56 PM AKST to February 22, 7:36 AM AKST
Where: N. Brooks Rng E of Colville R forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill: Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

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: 436914, 436913.