A low pressure system moving through the Aleutian Islands brought strong northeasterly flow and snow to the Pribilof Islands.
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.
A low pressure system moving through the Aleutian Islands brought strong northeasterly flow and snow to the Pribilof Islands.
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 27, 3:56 AM AKST, 8 hours 57 minutes earlier.
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK 456 AM AKDT SUN MAR 27 2016 .ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS... SURFACE AND UPPER LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NORTH GULF COAST IS ROTATING MOISTURE NORTH INTO THE EASTERN COPER RIVER BASIN THIS MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS MOVING EAST AND NORTH ACROSS THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY THIS MORNING AND WILL CROSS THE SUSITNA VALLEY TODAY. THIS WILL PROVIDE THE DYNAMIC LIFT THAT WILL RESULT IN SHOWERS ACROSS THE SUSITNA VALLEY AND COPPER RIVER BASIN TODAY. WEAK RIDGING IS BUILDING IN ALONG THE GULF OF ALASKA COAST INTO THE SOUTHERN MAINLAND AS THE LOW IN THE NORTH GULF COAST CONTINUES TO MOVE OFF TO THE NORTHEAST AND THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES NORTH AND EAST. OUT WEST WE HAVE A LARGE POTENT LOW SOUTH OF SHEMYA WITH A FRONT THAT EXTENDS FROM SHEMYA EAST ACROSS THE BERING SEA TO A TRIPLE POINT LOW FORMING NEAR COLD BAY. STORM FORCE WINDS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED ALONG THIS FRONT NORTHWEST OF SHEMYA AND GALE TO STORM FORCE WINDS ARE ALONG THIS FRONT IN THE SOUTHERN BERING SEA. SNOW HAS BEGUN IN THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS ALONG WITH STRONG WIND. THE SNOW THUS FAR HAS NOT BEEN SUFFICIENTLY HEAVY TO RESULT IN THE ANTICIPATED BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. && .MODEL DISCUSSION... THE MAIN CONCERN IS WHETHER SUFFICIENT MOISTURE AND THUS HEAVY ENOUGH SNOW WILL PUSH NORTH INTO THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS THIS MORNING. THE HIGHER RESOLUTION MODELS ARE HOLDING THE PRECIP TO JUST SOUTH OF SAINT PAUL WHILE THE EC AND GFS SPREAD THE SNOW OVER SAINT PAUL. THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER TROUGH PASSING ACROSS THE INTERIOR TODAY. THE NAM AND CANADIAN MODELS ARE SLIGHTLY SLOWER SPREADING THE RAIN INTO KODIAK ISLAND THAN THE GFS AND EC THOUGH NOT SIGNIFICANTLY ENOUGH TO IMPACT THE OVERALL FORECAST. THE MODELS REMAIN IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE INTENSITY AND LOCATION OF THE LOW TRACKING SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIANS AND WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE ASSOCIATED FRONT AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRIPLE POINT LOW ALONG THE FRONT ALONG THE ALASKA PENINSULA. THE MODELS ALSO HAVE COME INTO VERY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE WARM ADVECTION EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (DAYS 1 AND 2)... AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER SOUTHWEST ALASKA WILL BRING SOME SHOWERS MAINLY TO THE SUSITNA VALLEY THIS MORNING BEFORE MOVING NORTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON. SOME SHOWERS NEAR CORDOVA FROM A REMNANT LOW OVER THE NORTHEAST GULF WILL ALSO SLIDE EAST TODAY. THEN THE MAIN EVENT FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS WILL BEGIN AS A WARM MOIST AIR MASS SURGES NORTH INTO SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA. THIS IS BEING STEERED BY A LARGE UPPER LOW SOUTH OF THE ALEUTAINS. THERE IS SIGNIFICANT UPPER LEVEL JET SUPPORT AND A LONG MOISTURE FETCH FROM THE SUBTROPICS. PRECIPITATION FROM THIS SYSTEM IS PUSHING INTO KODIAK ISLAND EARLY THIS MORNING AND WILL REACH KACHEMAK BY BY LATE MORNING...AND SURGE NORTH INTO ALL OF SOUTH CENTRAL BY LATE TODAY. VERY WARM TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL ACCOMPANY THIS MOISTURE AND MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS WILL BE IN THE FORM OF RAIN. SOME HIGHER ELEVATIONS WILL SEE SOME SNOW INITIALLY...ESPECIALLY IN THE SUSITNA VALLEY NORTH OF TALKEETNA. BY MONDAY AFTERNOON ALL BUT THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS WILL HAVE TRANSITIONED TO RAIN. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA (DAYS 1 AND 2)... A BIG PATTERN CHANGE UPCOMING FOR THE MAINLAND AS A WARM FRONT WITH COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTH. CURRENTLY THIS MORNING A LINGERING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL CONTINUE LIGHT SNOW OVER THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY TODAY...WHICH WILL EXIT BY THIS AFTERNOON AS THE NEXT FRONT OVERSPREADS THE GREATER BRISTOL BAY AREA. PRECIPITATION COULD START AS SNOW IN THE AREA...ESPECIALLY INLAND...BUT WILL QUICKLY TURN TO RAIN AS THE WARM AIR MASS MOVES OVER THE AREA. AREAS WEST AND NORTH OF KOLIGANEK COULD REMAIN AS SNOW WITH MINOR ACCUMULATIONS. THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS SNOW WILL SPREAD INTO THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA AND VALLEY. AS SNOW SPREADS FROM SOUTH TO NORTH ALONG THE DELTA COAST...STRONGER WINDS WILL LOFT SNOW TO REDUCE VISIBILITY...POTENTIALLY DOWN TO HALF MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. PRECIPITATION IN THE VALLEY WILL BE MAINLY SNOW TOWARD ANIAK BUT WILL CHANGE TO RAIN ELSEWHERE. TEMPERATURES WILL RISE WELL ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...EXCEPT FOR THE DELTA WHICH WILL BE CLOSE TO CLIMATOLOGY. THE DRY SLOT WITH THE APPROACHING SYSTEM QUICKLY MOVES OVERHEAD MONDAY DRYING SOME OF THE MAINLAND OUT...EXCEPT FOR THE DELTA WHICH WILL CONTINUE WITH SNOW SHOWERS THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (DAYS 1 AND 2)... A STORM FORCE FRONTAL BOUNDARY SITS OVER THE SOUTHERN BERING SEA THIS MORNING BRINGING SNOW AND RAIN TO THE AREA. A TRIPLE POINT LOW WILL DEVELOP EAST OF THE PRIBILOFS THIS MORNING WHICH WILL STALL THE NORTHWARD PROGRESSION OF THE FRONT SLIGHTLY...LINGERING IT OVER SAINT PAUL WHERE FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WILL SEVERELY REDUCE VISIBILITY TODAY. THE FRONT WILL BARELY TOUCH SAINT PAUL THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT BEFORE PRECIPITATION AND WINDS DIMINISH MONDAY MORNING. && .LONG TERM FORECAST (DAYS 3 THROUGH 7)... IN THE LONG TERM AN ACTIVE PATTERN PERSISTS WITH A DRAMATIC RIDGE CONTINUING TO BUILD ACROSS THE EAST GULF OF ALASKA. THE UPPER LEVEL JET ALONG THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THIS RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO FUNNEL MOISTURE FROM THE PACIFIC TOWARDS THE ALASKA PENINSULA AND SOUTH CENTRAL MAINLAND. MODELS ARE IN GENERALLY GOOD AGREEMENT FOR THE LONG TERM...WITH CONSISTENCY BETWEEN ENSEMBLE MEMBERS. TODAY...MODELS ARE TRENDING WITH LESS PRECIPITATION IN TYPICALLY DOWNSLOPED REGIONS IN SOUTH CENTRAL...AS A TIGHTER PRESSURE GRADIENT IS ANTICIPATED FROM PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND TO ANCHORAGE. BUT OVERALL...THE DYNAMIC PATTERN CHANGE OCCURRING IN THE SHORT TERM WILL CONTINUE INTO THE LONG TERM...WITH COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE SURGING TOWARDS THE GULF COAST AND WIDESPREAD ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. && .AFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS AND MODEL DISCUSSION...SAM SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...BL SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...ML LONG TERM...EN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK 1124 AM AKDT SUN MAR 27 2016 AKZ101-111-121-125-131-135-141-145-280730- ANCHORAGE-MATANUSKA VALLEY-WESTERN KENAI PENINSULA- WESTERN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND-NORTHEAST PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND- SOUTHEAST PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND-COPPER RIVER BASIN-SUSITNA VALLEY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ANCHORAGE...EAGLE RIVER...INDIAN... EKLUTNA...PALMER...WASILLA...SUTTON...CHICKALOON...KENAI... SOLDOTNA...HOMER...COOPER LANDING...WHITTIER...SEWARD... GIRDWOOD...MOOSE PASS...VALDEZ...THOMPSON PASS...CORDOVA... GLENNALLEN...EUREKA...MCCARTHY...PAXSON...SLANA...TALKEETNA... WILLOW...CANTWELL 1124 AM AKDT SUN MAR 27 2016 ...UNUSUALLY WARM AND WET CONDITIONS TO IMPACT SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA THIS WEEK... LOCALIZED FLOODING WILL BE A CONCERN FOR MUCH OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA THIS WEEK AS A VERY WARM AND MOIST SUBTROPICAL AIR MASS MOVES OVER THE STATE. CURRENTLY THE HEAVIEST RAIN IS EXPECTED MONDAY INTO TUESDAY...WITH THE GREATEST AMOUNTS OCCURRING ACROSS PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND. AT THIS TIME...THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS FOR THE EARLY TO MIDDLE OF THIS WEEK APPEAR TO BE PONDING OF RAIN AND SNOWMELT ON ROADS...PARTICULARLY IN URBAN AREAS. AN ADDITIONAL THREAT MAY COME FROM LOCALIZED BREAK-UP OF FROZEN STREAMS AND RIVERS THROUGH THE WEEK. MODELS CURRENTLY INDICATE THAT DOWNSLOPING SHOULD PARTLY LIMIT RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS ANCHORAGE, THE MATANUSKA VALLEY AND WESTERN KENAI PENINSULA...BUT MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN IS STILL POSSIBLE AT TIMES THROUGH WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES FOR MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN MAINLAND WILL RISE WELL ABOVE FREEZING DURING THE DAY ON SUNDAY...THEN PERSIST OR CONTINUE TO WARM THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. AFTER SUNDAY NIGHT...TEMPERATURES MAY REMAIN UNUSUALLY WARM (IN THE 40S) EVEN AT NIGHT ACROSS ANCHORAGE AND SURROUNDING AREAS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF NEXT WEEK. FREEZING LEVELS MAY REACH AS HIGH AS 5000 FEET ACROSS SOUTHCENTRAL...WHICH COULD RESULT RAPID MELTING AND INCREASED RUNOFF IN LOCAL STREAMS IN ADDITION TO THE MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL EXPECTED. WITH THIS INCREASED RUNOFF AND TEMPERATURES...THERE IS AN INCREASED RISK FOR AVALANCHES OR ROCKSLIDES IN AREAS OF STEEP TERRAIN. PLEASE STAY ABREAST OF THE LATEST WEATHER FORECASTS BY VISITING WEATHER.GOV/ANCHORAGE AND THE LATEST RIVER AND STREAM FORECASTS BY VISITING WEATHER.GOV/APRFC. YOU CAN ALSO GET ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BY FOLLOWING ALONG ON FACEBOOK OR ON TWITTER BY FOLLOWING @NWSANCHORAGE.
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Although the winds were consistently above 40 mph and visibility dropped below 1/4 mile at times, the blizzard conditions did not last for longer than 3 consecutive hours.
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, March 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: 626140.