Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, March 12 to 14, 2014

Name: Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, March 12 to 14, 2014
Start: 2014-03-12T00:50
End: 2014-03-14T09:53
Location: Alaska

March 12 to 14, 2014 · NWS AFG · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A weather system moving north from the Gulf of Alaska to the central western interior of Alaska on the 14th brought high winds briefly to the Alaska Range, and snow and local blizzard conditions to the Seward Peninsula. Zone 211: Nome reported 6 inches of new snow by mid-morning of the 14th.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

Zone 211: Nome reported 6 inches of new snow by mid-morning of the 14th.

Zone 213: Brevig Mission likely had blizzard conditions during the afternoon of the 13th as indicated by the AWOS there.

Zone 225: The State of Alaska DOT weather station at Antler Creek reported winds gusting as high as 66 kt (76 mph) overnight on the 12th.

Zone 226: The U.S. Army Mesonet station Texas Condo reported wind gusts to 65 kt (75 mph) during the early morning of the 13th.

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 Mar 11, 1:04 PM AKST, 11 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 11, 1:04 PM AKST, 11 hours 46 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
204 PM AKDT TUE MAR 11 2014

.SYNOPSIS...
ALOFT...
A LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER THE BERING AND WESTERN ALASKA WITH A RIDGE
OVER NW CANADA WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A SERIES OF
STRONG SHORT WAVE TROUGHS WILL MOVE NORTH OVER ALASKA IN THE SOUTH
FLOW ALOFT. THIS WILL KEEP THE WEST COAST COLD WITH PERIODS OF
SNOW WHILE THE EASTERN INTERIOR WILL REMAIN NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL
IN TEMPERATURES WITH LITTLE SNOW AND PERIODS OF CHINOOK FLOW OVER
THE ALASKA RANGE.

A SHORT WAVE TROUGH STRETCHING FROM NOME TO BARTER ISLAND WILL
MOVE TO THE BERING STRAIT TO BARROW BY 4AM WED...AND THEN
CONTINUING NW. THERE WILL BE AN ADDITIONAL INCH OF SNOW WITH THIS
TROUGH WITH CLOUDS DECREASING SOUTHEAST OF THE TROUGH.

A SECOND TROUGH FROM THE YUKON DELTA TO BRISTOL BAY WILL MOVE FROM GAMBELL
TO KING SALMON BY 4AM WED...TO KOTZEBUE TO MCGRATH BY 4PM
WED...AND TO POINT HOPE TO ARCTIC VILLAGE BY 4AM WED. EXPECT
ANOTHER 1-2 INCHES OF SNOW WITH THIS TROUGH.

850 MB TEMPERATURES RANGE FROM -1C IN THE SE INTERIOR TO -24C IN NW
ALASKA. WARM ADVECTION WILL OCCUR THROUGH WED OVER THE EASTERN
ARCTIC COAST. WEST COAST WILL REMAIN COLD OR BECOME COLDER AND THE
INTERIOR WILL COOL SLIGHTLY WED AND THEN WARM AGAIN THU AND
CONTINUE INTO FRI.

SURFACE...
A 1025 MB HIGH OVER NE RUSSIA WILL WEAKEN SLOWLY THOUGH FRI.
A STRONG LOW NEAR COOK INLET WILL MOVE NORTH TO THE CENTRAL
INTERIOR TONIGHT...AND TO NEAR KOTZEBUE WED. A COLD FRONT
STRETCHING SOUTH FROM THIS LOW WILL MOVE TO KOTZEBUE TO MCGRATH BY
3PM WED...AND THEN DRIFT WEST AS A WARM FRONT. EXPECT LIGHT SNOW
WITH THE LOW. WILL SEE HEAVIER SNOW DEVELOP THU ALONG THE FRONT IN
THE WESTERN INTERIOR. AT THIS POINT EXPECT 2-4 INCHES OF SNOW THU
AND IN THE WESTERN INTERIOR BUT AMOUNTS UNCERTAIN AT THIS POINT.

NE WINDS 20-30 KT ALONG THE WEST COAST WILL PERSIST THROUGH WED
AS THE LOW MOVES NW. CHINOOK WINDS ACROSS THE ALASKA RANGE WILL
DECREASE THIS EVENING AS THE LOW MOVES N AS WELL.

A SECOND LOW MOVING INTO THE WESTERN GULF OF ALASKA WED WILL MOVE
TO THE NORTHERN GULF OF ALASKA THU AND TO THE CENTRAL INTERIOR
FRI. THIS WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF CHINOOK WINDS TO THE ALASKA
RANGE WED PM THROUGH THU. THIS WILL ALSO FEED MORE MOISTURE AND
SNOW ALONG THE FRONT IN THE WESTERN INTERIOR THU AND FRI.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
MODELS SHOW SIMILAR SOLUTIONS THROUGH 4AM THU AND THEN MODELS
DIVERGE WITH NAM DEVELOPING A SECOND LOW IN THE GULF WHILE THE
ECMF AND GFS MAINTAIN A SINGLE CENTER. FAVOR THE GFS SOLUTION AT
THIS TIME.

&&

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

WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ225-AKZ226.

WIND CHILL WARNING FOR AKZ201.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ213.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225.
&&

JB MAR 14

Event by event

2 high wind, 1 heavy snow, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Denali

When: March 12, 12:50 AM AKST to March 13, 4:20 AM AKST
Where: Denali forecast zone
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

High Wind, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When: March 13, 1:25 AM AKST to 2:25 AM AKST
Where: Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Heavy Snow, Srn Seward Peninsula Coast

When: March 13, 10:53 AM AKST to March 14, 9:53 AM AKST
Where: Srn Seward Peninsula Coast forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: March 13, 1:23 PM AKST to 5:38 PM AKST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
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 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, March 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: 503132, 503133, 503130, 503131.