Blizzard, Northern Arctic Coast
- When
- February 6, 2:30 AM AKST to 5:30 AM AKST
- Where
- Northern Arctic Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
Blizzard in Alaska, February 6, 2014
A low pressure center in the high arctic tracked southeast across the Beaufort Sea on the 6th reaching the Mackenzie Delta in the afternoon of the 6th and continuing south. The cold front with this system moved south over the North Slope producing blizzard or near-blizzard conditions at a number of locations.
The toll
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.
A low pressure center in the high arctic tracked southeast across the Beaufort Sea on the 6th reaching the Mackenzie Delta in the afternoon of the 6th and continuing south. The cold front with this system moved south over the North Slope producing blizzard or near-blizzard conditions at a number of locations.
Zone 202: Blizzard conditions occurred at Barrow for around three hours during the early morning of the 6th, according to the ASOS.
Zone 203: Blizzard conditions likely occurred at Nuiqsut during the morning of the 6th, as reported by the ASOS. Other nearby sites has less severe visibility restriction and wind speeds.
Zone 204: Blizzard conditions were likely at Kaktovik during the day on the 6th, as indicated by the Barter Island AWOS.
Zone 206: Blizzard conditions were likely in passes, as indicated by the AWOS at Anaktuvuk Pass.
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 5, 3:05 PM AKST, 11 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 5, 3:05 PM AKST, 11 hours 25 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 305 PM AKST WED FEB 5 2014 .DISCUSSION... ALOFT...HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHERN YUKON TERRITORY WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST. TROUGH FROM BARTER ISLAND TO THE WESTERN ALASKA RANGE MOVING SOUTHEAST INTO CANADA BY 3AM THU. LOW NORTH OF WRANGELL ISLAND WILL MOVE TO JUST NORTHEAST OF PRUDHOE BAY 9AM THU...TO 100 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FAIRBANKS 9PM THU AND TO KODIAK ISLAND 9AM FRI. STRONG HIGH OVER THE SOUTHWEST BERING SE MOVING NORTH TO THE GULF OF ANADYR THU AM PERSISTING AND BECOMING A BLOCKING HIGH THROUGH SAT. SURFACE...WEAKENING OCCLUSION FROM EASTERN BROOKS RANGE TO FAIRBANKS MOVING EAST INTO CANADA BY 3AM THU. SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW OVER THE EASTERN INTERIOR IS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS. WARM FRONT OVER THE WESTERN CHUKCHI SEA MOVING TO KOTZEBUE TO GALENA 3AM THU AND THEN WEAKENING. LIGHT SNOW WILL SPREAD OVER THE WEST COAST OVERNIGHT. ADDITIONALLY SPOTTY LIGHT FREEZING RAIN OR DRIZZLE COULD OCCUR FROM THE BERING STRAIT SOUTH INTO THU BUT AMOUNTS WILL BE BELOW ADVISORY LEVEL. COLD FRONT JUST NORTH OF WRANGELL ISLAND WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST TO EXTEND FROM PRUDHOE BAY TO POINT LAY 3AM THU AND TO EAGLE TO FAIRBANKS TO CAPE LISBURNE 3PM THU AND TO NORTHWAY TO MCGRATH TO POINT LAY 9PM THU. ASSOCIATED LOW OF 1016 MB NORTH OF WRANGELL ISLAND WILL MOVE TO 250 MILES EAST OF BARTER ISLAND 3PM THU AND CONTINUE SOUTHEAST. THE COLD FRONT WILL BRING STRONG WEST WINDS TO THE ARCTIC COAST ALONG WITH A PERIOD OF SNOW MOSTLY FROM BARROW EAST...WITH AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES OVER THE EASTERN BROOKS RANGE. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP AFTER MIDNIGHT AROUND PRUDHOE BAY AND IN THE EARLY MORNING OVER THE EASTERN BEAUFORT SEA COAST. NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS EXPECTED AT BARROW MAINLY THU AM. SO HAVE ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE NORTHERN ARCTIC COAST...AND UPGRADED THE WATCHES TO BLIZZARD WARNING FOR THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN BEAUFORT SEA COAST AND A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE EASTERN BROOKS RANGE. EXPECT BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OVER THE EASTERN BEAUFORT SEA COAST TO LINGER INTO FRIDAY MORNING...THOUGH SNOWFALL SHOULD END LATE THU NIGHT. WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE COLD FRONT SOUTH OVER THE INTERIOR SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR THU AND MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THU NIGHT...WITH ONLY FLURRIES OR SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ON FRIDAY. STORM TOTALS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE LIKELY...WITH SOME SPOTS GETTING 4 OR 5 INCHES. OVER WESTERN ALASKA LITTLE IF ANY PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED AFTER THE WARM FRONT MOVES THROUGH THU AM. GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL OCCUR WITH AND BEHIND THE COLD FRONT OVER THE INTERIOR SO ANTICIPATE LOW VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING SNOW OVER SUMMITS MAINLY SO HAVE ISSUES WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES FOR THE ZONES WITH SUCH SUMMITS. WITH THE HIGH ALOFT MOVING INTO PLACE OVER THE GULF OF ANADYR...WEST COAST WINDS WILL TURN NORTH AND INCREASE SOME AS WELL. SHARPLY COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE IN STORE FOR THE INTERIOR BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WITH BELOW NORMAL READINGS FOR THE WEEKEND AS SKIES CLEAR LATER FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH SAT WITH MAIN FEATURES ALOFT AND AT SURFACE. IN THE MEDIUM TERM BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS AGREE FAIRLY WELL IN THE ADJUSTMENT OF THE BLOCKING HIGH EARLY IN THE WEEK AND A NEW LOW DROPPING SOUTH OUT OF THE HIGH ARCTIC MOVING TO THE ARCTIC COAST ON WED. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FOR AKZ206. BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ203-AKZ204. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ202-AKZ218-AKZ219-AKZ220-AKZ221. GALE WARNING FOR PKZ230-PKZ235-PKZ240-PKZ245. BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225. && JL FEB 14
Event by event
5 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast
- When
- February 6, 2:53 AM AKST to 2:01 PM AKST
- Where
- Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
Blizzard, Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast
- When
- February 6, 2:53 AM AKST to 2:01 PM AKST
- Where
- Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast
- When
- February 6, 5:15 AM AKST to 9:51 AM AKST
- Where
- Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
Blizzard, N. Brooks Rng E of Colville R
- When
- February 6, 8:36 AM AKST to 3:16 PM AKST
- Where
- N. Brooks Rng E of Colville R forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
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
- Winter Weather in Kentucky, February 6, 2014
- Winter Weather in Texas, February 6, 2014
- Lake-Effect Snow in New York, February 6 to 7, 2014
- Cold in Texas, February 6 to 7, 2014
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Colorado, February 6 to 10, 2014
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, February 6 to 7, 2014
- Extreme Cold in Missouri, February 6, 2014
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, February 6 to 7, 2014
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Washington, February 6 to 9, 2014
- Winter Weather in Arkansas, February 6, 2014
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Washington, February 6 to 7, 2014
- Frost and Freeze in Texas, February 6 to 7, 2014
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 2014
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: 496656, 496659, 496661, 496657, 496662.