The Alaska Range was the location in Southcentral Alaska that received the most snow this year. This attracted many outdoor enthusiasts, including motorized sports.
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.
The episode as NWS AFC wrote it up.
The Alaska Range was the location in Southcentral Alaska that received the most snow this year. This attracted many outdoor enthusiasts, including motorized sports. There were several fatalities, many triggered by motorized snow vehicles (snowmobiles).
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 Apr 3, 3:38 AM AKST, 10 hours 52 minutes earlier.
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
438 AM AKDT SUN APR 3 2016
.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
THE SAME GENERAL SYNOPTIC PATTERN REMAINS IN PLACE OVER ALASKA AND
THE NORTH PACIFIC WITH A EASTWARD MOVING RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN
NORTH AMERICAN COAST...A BROAD AND DEEPENING TROUGH OVER THE NORTH
PACIFIC...AND A BUILDING RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN RUSSIAN COAST.
WITHIN THE BROAD TROUGH...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS CENTERED OVER THE
NORTHEASTERN PACIFIC/GULF OF ALASKA AND IS ROTATING NORTHEASTWARD AS
THE RIDGE MOVES EAST. A 999 MB LOW WITH ITS ASSOCIATED OCCLUDED
FRONT IS LOCATED NEAR THE BASE OF THIS TROUGH AND IS MOVING
NORTHWARD INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF ALASKA.
WEAKER SHORTWAVES ARE MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHWARD PORTION OF
THIS TROUGH...BRINGING PRECIPITATION TO KODIAK AND SOUTHWEST
ALASKA.
FURTHER WEST...THE LONGWAVE TROUGH IS STARTING TO DEEPEN AS THE
RUSSIAN RIDGE BUILDS POLEWARD. WITHIN THE EAST SIDE OF THIS TROUGH
IS A CLOSED 519 DM LOW NEAR 47N 173W WITH A STILL INTENSIFYING
981 MB SURFACE LOW SLIGHTLY DISPLACED FROM THE UPPER LOW. THE
AMPLIFICATION OF THE TROUGH IS FINALLY PULLING THE POLAR JET WHICH
HAS BEEN GENERALLY AROUND 35-40N NORTHWARD...PUTTING THE SURFACE LOW
IN THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF AN APPROXIMATELY 160KT JET.
THE BUILDING RIDGE TO THE WEST IS KEEPING MOST OF THE BERING SEA
IN A NORTH TO NORTHEASTERLY FLOW.
FINALLY...IN BETWEEN THE TWO TROUGHS...A WEAKENING VERTICALLY
STACKED LOW NEAR DUTCH HARBOR IS SLOWLY BEING ABSORBED INTO THE
LARGER LOW TO THE SOUTHWEST.
&&
.MODEL DISCUSSION...
IN THE SHORT TERM...THERE ARE FEW SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
THE GLOBAL MODELS WITH THE EVOLUTION OF THE MAJOR SYNOPTIC
FEATURES. IN THE SHORT TERM...THE NAM WAS AGAIN PREFERRED FOR
THIS PACKAGE FOR THE HIGHER RESOLUTION.
MODELS ON DAY 3 BEGIN TO DIVERGE SOMEWHAT WITH THE MOVEMENT AND
DEPTH OF A LOW OVER THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS...WITH THE AMERICAN
MODELS BEING SLIGHTLY SLOWER AND FURTHER WEST THAN THE GEM-NH AND
THE EC. FOR DAY 3...THE FORECAST IS MOSTLY THE NAM WITH A BLEND OF
THE EC OVER THE WESTERN BERING.
&&
.SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (DAYS 1 AND 2...SUN AND MON)...
A MID-LEVEL RIDGE AXIS THIS MORNING IS LOCATED FROM NEAR
MIDDLETON ISLAND EXTENDING WEST-NORTHWEST TO NEAR SLEETMUTE. NORTH
OF THIS LINE...AN OVERCAST MID-LEVEL DECK IS STILL EVIDENT ON
SATELLITE. A WEAK UPPER DISTURBANCE CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTH
THROUGH THE SUSITNA VALLEY BRINGING SPOTTY RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS.
THESE WILL END QUICKLY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING
HOURS...WITH PARTIAL CLEARING AS THE MID-LEVEL RIDGE AXIS MOVES
THROUGH.
THE RIDGE AXIS MOVES TO THE ALASKA RANGE AND POINTS NORTH BY THIS
EVENING...ALLOWING FOR A RETURN OF CLOUDS ESPECIALLY TOWARD THE
COOK INLET REGION...WHICH WILL LIE BETWEEN THE TROUGH TO THE WEST
AND THE RIDGE TO THE NORTH AND EAST. TOWARD KODIAK ISLAND...THIS
WILL MEAN CONTINUED OVERCAST CONDITIONS AND AT LEAST A CHANCE OF
RAIN CONTINUING THROUGH TONIGHT.
BY LATE MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT...A WARM FRONT WILL ORGANIZE AND
MOVE NORTH TOWARD THE GULF COAST. AS IT APPROACHES A BARRIER JET
WILL ORGANIZE WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR NEAR-GALES ALONG THE
IMMEDIATE NORTH GULF COAST EXTENDING SOUTH AND WEST THROUGH THE
BARREN ISLANDS AND SHELIKOF STRAIT. WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOULD BE
EXPECTED ALONG THE COAST...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A MIX OR
CHANGEOVER TO SNOW TOWARD THOMPSON PASS MONDAY NIGHT.
&&
.SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA (DAYS 1 AND 2)...
A WEAK TROUGH WITHIN THE 850 MB TO 500 MB LAYER WILL LIFT ACROSS THE
SOUTHWEST MAINLAND TODAY AND BRING YET ANOTHER ROUND OF
PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION. RAINFALL HAS ALREADY STARTED TO DEVELOP
WITHIN THE BRISTOL BAY ZONE EARLY THIS MORNING AND SHOULD CONTINUE
TO SPREAD NORTHWARD THROUGHOUT THE MORNING. THE LOWER KUSKOKWIM
VALLEY AND KUSKOKWIM DELTA WILL LIKELY SEE SOME SNOW THROUGH THE
FIRST HALF OF THE MORNING BEFORE QUICKLY CHANGING TO RAIN AS
TEMPERATURES WARM. A FRONT ATTACHED TO A LOW MOVING SOUTH OF THE
EASTERN ALEUTIANS WILL DRIVE A FRONT TOWARD THE ALASKA PENINSULA BY
EARLY MONDAY MORNING BUT WILL STRUGGLE TO MOVE INLAND AS THE PARENT
LOW WEAKENS AND STALLS SOUTH OF COLD BAY. THIS WILL LIMIT HOW MUCH
PRECIPITATION WILL BE SEEN ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST MAINLAND. AT THIS
TIME...IT LOOKS LIKE THE BULK OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE CONFINED
TO UPSLOPE LOCATIONS OF THE ALEUTIAN RANGE THROUGH MONDAY BEFORE A
FEW SHOWERS BEGIN TO MOVE INLAND ON TUESDAY. BASED ON FORECAST HIGH
TEMPERATURES FOR TODAY...IT LOOKS LIKE BOTH KING SALMON AND BETHEL
WILL ONCE AGAIN APPROACH RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES.
THIS ABNORMALLY WARM PERIOD OF WEATHER STILL SHOWS NO SIGN OF
CHANGING.
&&
.SHORT TERM FORECAST BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (DAYS 1 AND 2)...
NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS MUCH OF THE BERING SEA
THROUGH MONDAY BEFORE A FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH A LOW ORIGINATING
OFF THE COAST OF CHINA ENTERS THE FAR WESTERN BERING SEA. BEFORE
THAT...A LOW CURRENTLY SOUTH OF ATKA WILL MOVE SOUTH OF UNALASKA
MONDAY MORNING AND PUSH A FRONT THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN BERING
SEA. THIS SHOULD BRING A BRIEF PERIOD OF GALE FORCE WINDS TO
SEVERAL MARINE ZONES ALONG THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AS WELL AS SOME
PRETTY DECENT RAINFALL STARTING LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUING
THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. MUCH OF THE ALEUTIANS WILL CONTINUE
TO SEE TEMPERATURES A GOOD BIT ABOVE NORMAL. THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS
WILL CONTINUE TO FEEL THE EFFECT OF A COLDER AIR MASS THAT
CONTINUES TO DROP SOUTH FROM SIBERIA.
&&
.LONG TERM FORECAST (DAYS 3 THROUGH 7)...
THE PATTERN OF TROUGHING OVER THE BERING AND RIDGING OVER THE
EASTERN PART OF THE STATE LOOKS TO CONTINUE THROUGH NEXT WEEK.
THIS WILL KEEP WARM SOUTHERLY FLOW MOVING IN OVER THE SOUTHERN
MAINLAND WITH COLD NORTHERLY FLOW OVER THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS. IN
THIS SETUP THE MAJORITY OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE ALONG THE
NORTH GULF COAST...WEST COAST AND ALEUTIANS AS LOWS MOVE THROUGH
THE BROAD TROUGH. THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE MAJOR
PATTERN BUT STRUGGLE WITH THE EXACT PLACEMENT AND TIMING OF LOWS
EMBEDDED IN THE TROUGH.
&&
.AFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...NONE.
MARINE...GALE 138 150 155 173 174
HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY 411 412
&&
SYNOPSIS AND MODEL DISCUSSION...RLF
SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...CC
SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...MC
LONG TERM...DEK1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
A snowmachiner was caught in an avalanche when the victim decided to stop near the base of a hill while another rider decided to go up the hill, triggering the slide. This occurred during the annual Arctic Man festival, a festival for motorized snow sports.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2016
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: 632307.