Alaska, 2013Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, March 6 to 8, 2013
March 6 to 8, 2013 · NWS AFC · 5 events in 5 counties and zones
On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 6th, there was a 960 mb low with occluded front centered about 400 miles south of Dutch Harbor. This low continued to strengthen some as it progressed northward reaching a peak of 954 mb just south of the Alaska Peninsula on the morning of March 7th.
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 6th, there was a 960 mb low with occluded front centered about 400 miles south of Dutch Harbor. This low continued to strengthen some as it progressed northward reaching a peak of 954 mb just south of the Alaska Peninsula on the morning of March 7th. This storm then started to weaken as it moved into Bristol Bay and then inland on March 8th. This storm brought high winds to the Anchorage area as well as blizzard conditions to parts of Southwest Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula.
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 Mar 6, 5:20 AM AKST, 8 hours 36 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 6, 5:20 AM AKST, 8 hours 36 minutes before
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
520 AM AKST WED MAR 6 2013
.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
THE CONTINUED HIGH AMPLITUDE PATTERN OF AN LOW OVER EASTERN SIBERIA
AND RIDGE OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA IS SLOWLY WEAKENING IN ADVANCE OF
THE NEXT LOW CURRENTLY APPROACHING THE ALEUTIANS. THE REMNANTS OF A
WEATHER FRONT IS ALSO CONTINUING TO WEAKEN OVER THE WESTERN
INTERIOR...PRODUCING SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE AREA. A RIDGE OVER THE
YUKON TERRITORY AND EASTERN INTERIOR IS SLOWLY SLIDING EAST AND
WEAKENING IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT ALEUTIAN LOW.
.MODEL DISCUSSION...
THE MODELS ARE OVERALL IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE SHORT TERM WITH THE
NEXT ALEUTIAN LOW LATE TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY...BUT ARE STRUGGLING
WITH HOW MUCH WARM AIR TO BRING WITH THE SYSTEM. THIS DISAGREEMENT IS
CRITICAL FOR POTENTIAL BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ON THE NORTHERN AND
WESTERN SIDES OF THE LOW...WHICH WILL BE COVERED FURTHER IN THE SHORT
TERM FORECAST SECTION. THE MODELS HAVE COME INTO GOOD AGREEMENT WITH
A SLIGHTLY WESTWARD TRACK FOR THIS LOW COMPARED TO PREVIOUS
RUNS...MAKING THE FORECAST FOR SOUTHCENTRAL A LITTLE MORE UNCERTAIN.
.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
SOUTHCENTRAL...THE PRIMARY CONCERN FOR SOUTHCENTRAL LIES WITH THE
POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WINDS ALONG TURNAGAIN ARM AND THE ANCHORAGE
HILLSIDE STARTING THURSDAY AFTERNOON. AS MENTIONED IN THE MODEL
DISCUSSION...THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH A FURTHER WESTWARD
LOW CENTER OVER THE EASTERN BERING....RATHER THAN OVER THE SOUTHWEST
MAINLAND. BECAUSE OF THIS TREND THE HIGH WIND WATCHES FOR TURNAGAIN
ARM WAS KEPT MOSTLY AS IS THIS MORNING...AS THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH
CONFIDENCE TO UPGRADE TO A WARNING. PRECIPITATION WILL BE MOSTLY
LIMITED TO THE GULF COAST AND SOUTHERN KENAI PENINSULA...AS STRONG
DOWNSLOPING WILL BE PRESENT OVER MOST INTERIOR LOCATIONS THROUGH
FRIDAY.
SOUTHWEST...SNOWFALL WILL DISSIPATE FROM WEST TO EAST TODAY AS THE
FRONT CONTINUES TO WEAKEN AND MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL INTERIOR. THE
FOCUS THEN QUICKLY SHIFTS TO THE APPROACHING EASTERN ALEUTIAN LOW
THIS EVENING. DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY IN THE AMOUNT OF WARM AIR
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM...THE BLIZZARD WATCHES FOR WESTERN
BRISTOL BAY AND THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA WILL REMAIN AS WATCHES FOR
NOW...HOWEVER THEY WILL NOW GO INTO EFFECT AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
BERING SEA AND ALEUTIANS...CONDITIONS IN THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS WILL
QUICKLY DETERIORATE THIS AFTERNOON IN ADVANCE OF THE ALEUTIAN LOW.
THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SNOW...AS WELL AS STRONG
WINDS TO THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS AND PRIBILOF ISLANDS. JUST AS WAS DONE
WITH THE BLIZZARD WATCHES IN THE SOUTHWEST ALASKA...THE WATCHES FOR
THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS AND PRIBILOF ISLANDS WILL NOW GO INTO EFFECT AT
MIDNIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL THEN CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE REGION THROUGH
THE WORK WEEK.
.LONG TERM FORECAST...
THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN ENDING THE PROGRESSIVE PATTERN
AFTER THE ALEUTIAN LOW DISSIPATES EARLY THIS WEEKEND. BEGINNING
SUNDAY...A NORTH PACIFIC RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OVER MUCH OF THE
EASTERN BERING AND MAINLAND ALASKA. THIS SETUP WILL KEEP ANY
SIGNIFICANT SYSTEMS WELL WEST OF THE ALEUTIANS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF
NEXT WEEK.
.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WATCH 101 121
BLIZZARD WATCH 155 161 185 195
MARINE...STORM...120 130 132 150 155 160 165 170 179
GALE...125 129 136 137 138 140 141 171 172 180 185
HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY...179
FIRE WEATHER...NONE
DEK MAR 13Blizzard, Eastern Aleutians
- When
- March 6, 1:56 PM AKST to 5:56 PM AKST
- Where
- Eastern Aleutians forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
As the low passed south of the Eastern Aleutian Islands the pressure gradient rapidly increased over the Unalaska area. In addition to the strong winds snowfall increased and blowing snow reduced the visibility to 1/4 mile for almost four hours in Dutch Harbor (PADU). The peak of this event was around 5 PM AKST on March 6th when visibility remained at 1/4 mile in winds gusting to 44 mph and a peak gust that past hour to 64 mph. There were no reports of damage or injuries.
High Wind, Bristol Bay
- When
- March 6, 10:16 PM AKST to March 7, 2:16 AM AKST
- Where
- Bristol Bay forecast zone
- Measured
- 78 kt (90 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- ASOS
The Cape Newenham ASOS reported high winds for two hours early on March 7th. The peak of the event was a gust that reached of 90 MPH. Port Heiden (PAPH), about 175 miles to the Southeast of Cape Newenham, reported four hours of warning level winds with the highest gust measured at 83 MPH. There were no reported injuries or damages in this event.
Blizzard, Pribilof Islands
- When
- March 7, 12:45 AM AKST to 8:38 PM AKST
- Where
- Pribilof Islands forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
When the low and associated occluded front moved into Bristol Bay on March 7th the North to Northwest winds increased in conjunction with heavy snowfall. Blizzard conditions began just after midnight on the 7th and persisted into the middle of the evening. The most severe conditions on St Paul Island (PASN) were reported around 11 AM AKST with 1/4 mile visibility in blowing snow and Northwest winds sustained at 49 mph and gusting to 63 mph.
High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek
- When
- March 7, 8:10 PM AKST to March 8, 6:00 AM AKST
- Where
- Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
- Measured
- 83 kt (96 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
The strong pressure gradient ahead of the approaching occluded front produced high winds in both Turnagain Arm and along the Anchorage Hillside from mid evening March 7th to around 6 AM AKST on March 8th. The peak wind in Turnagain Arm was at McHugh Creek (SMCA2) where the wind gust was measured at 82 mph at 8:30 PM AKST on March 7th. The Glenn Alps (GAHA2) peak wind was measured at 95 mph at 11 PM on the 7th. There were no reports of damage or injuries from this event.
Blizzard, Alaska Peninsula
- When
- March 8, 8:20 AM AKST to 2:53 PM AKST
- Where
- Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
As the low moved into Bristol Bay the pressure gradient increased over the Alaska Peninsula and also ushered in colder air to the area. Snow and blowing snow in Cold Bay (PACD) dropped the visibility to 1/4 mile by mid morning on March 8th and this persisted until mid afternoon. West winds during this period were gusting between 43 and 49 mph.|There were no reports of damage or injuries.
- 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.
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Coastal Flood and High Wind in New Jersey, March 6 to 7, 2013$1.1 million · 60 kt wind · 29 events
- Coastal Flood and High Wind in Delaware, March 6 to 7, 2013$200,000 · 62 kt wind · 7 events
- Strong Wind in Maryland, March 6, 2013$30,000 · 5 events
- Heavy Snow in Georgia, March 6, 20139 events
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 6, 20138 events
- Winter Weather in Virginia, March 6, 20137 events
- Coastal Flood and High Wind in North Carolina, March 6, 2013$1,000 · 56 kt wind · 6 events
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 6, 20135 events
- Strong Wind in Pennsylvania, March 6, 2013$10,000 · 5 events
- Strong Wind in New York, March 6, 2013$4,000 · 4 events
- Strong Wind in New Jersey, March 6, 2013$11,000 · 2 events
- High Wind in Virginia, March 6, 2013$9,000 · 55 kt wind · 3 events
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: 442929, 443094, 442949, 439918, 439917.