Alaska, 2013

Blizzard in Alaska, February 23, 2013

February 23, 2013 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Strong high pressure over the Arctic Ocean and low pressure in the Bering Strait produced blizzard conditions at a few locations along the Arctic Coast during the 23rd. At Wainwright in zone 201, the visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less.

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.

Strong high pressure over the Arctic Ocean and low pressure in the Bering Strait produced blizzard conditions at a few locations along the Arctic Coast during the 23rd. At Wainwright in zone 201, the visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less. There was a peak wind gust of 36 kt (41 mph) at the Wainwright ASOS. At Deadhorse in zone 203, the visibility was reduced to one-quarter mile in blowing snow, with winds gusting around 35 mph at times.

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 22, 2:11 PM AKST, 16 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 22, 2:11 PM AKST, 16 hours 57 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
211 PM AKST FRI FEB 22 2013

.DISCUSSION...
UPPER LEVEL LOW CURRENTLY OVER KOTZEBUE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE
WESTWARD TO BE OVER THE CHUKOTSK PENINSULA SATURDAY MORNING AND
DEEPEN AS IT MOVES SOUTHWEST INTO THE GULF OF ANADYR SUNDAY MORNING.
A 980 MB LOW NEAR SITKA CONTINUES TO MOVE INLAND TONIGHT AS A 960
MB LOW MOVES INTO THE SOUTHERN BERING SEA TO BE NEAR DUTCH HARBOR
SATURDAY AFTERNOON. A 1043 MB HIGH OVER THE HIGH ARCTIC WILL
CONTINUE TO PUMP COLD AIR INTO THE NORTH SLOPE.

COLD AIR MASS COMBINED WITH INCREASING GRADIENT ACROSS THE NORTH
SLOPE IS CREATING BRUTAL WIND CHILL VALUES IN THE 60 TO 70 BELOW
RANGE ACROSS THE COASTAL PORTIONS OF THE NORTH SLOPE ESPECIALLY
EAST OF BARROW. WINDS WILL INCREASE IN THESE LOCATIONS WITH
BLOWING SNOW AND BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILLS CONTINUING THROUGH THE
WEEKEND. INTERMITTENT WINDS THROUGH BROOKS RANGE PASSES ARE
CONTRIBUTING TO BRUTAL WIND CHILL VALUES AT TIMES.

ADVISORY LEVEL WIND CHILL VALUES ARE OCCURRING ON ST LAWRENCE
ISLAND AND THROUGH THE BERING STRAIT. AS WINDS PICK UP AHEAD OF
APPROACHING LOW IN THE ALEUTIANS ADVISORY LEVEL WIND CHILLS ARE
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY
MORNING IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE SEWARD PENINSULA AND IN ZONE
212. WILL NEED TO WATCH FOR WINDS IN CHANNELED AREAS IN ZONE 211
AND WINDS IN ZONE 209 FOR ADVISORY LEVEL WIND CHILLS.

OVERRUNNING SNOW ACROSS THE INTERIOR WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH
TONIGHT BUT WILL PICK UP AGAIN TOMORROW NIGHT AS THE NEXT WEAK
SHORT WAVE MOVES INTO THE AREA. SNOW ACCUMULATION AROUND 1 INCH IS
EXPECTED.

SHORT RANGE MODELS REMAIN IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH THE WEEKEND
AND INTO EARLY PORTIONS OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ202-AKZ208-AKZ210-AKZ212-AKZ213-
AKZ217.

WIND CHILL WARNING FOR AKZ201-AKZ203-AKZ204-AKZ206.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ205-AKZ207.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ225.

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

CCC FEB 13

Event by event

2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Western Arctic Coast

When
February 23, 7:08 AM AKST to 6:31 PM AKST
Where
Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When
February 23, 10:53 AM AKST to 4:53 PM AKST
Where
Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

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.

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: 437115, 437116.