A low pressure system moved up the east side of the Kenai Peninsula and into the Prince William Sound. This produced heavy snow across the eastern Kenai Peninsula.
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 moved up the east side of the Kenai Peninsula and into the Prince William Sound. This produced heavy snow across the eastern Kenai Peninsula. Strong winds enhanced by channeled terrain through Portage Valley caused near blizzard conditions in that area.
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 9, 4:49 AM AKST, 11 minutes earlier.
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 449 AM AKST Fri Mar 9 2018 .ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS... The main low over the area that has brought large amounts of snow to the Kenai peninsula is south of Seward as it continues its track toward Cook Inlet. The cold air wrapping into this system has also cut off the warm air and is keeping precip as snow along the north Gulf coast. Out west, cold, northerly flow dominates with widespread snow showers. && .MODEL DISCUSSION... The models are still struggling with the western Gulf low which raises uncertainty in the short term. The 06Z NAM initialized the best so it was preferred for the short term. Guidance does not get much better moving into the mid term with widely varying positions of a low tracking into the Gulf Saturday night into Sunday. That being said, the 06Z NAM took a jump from its 00Z run and is now much closer to the GFS. Meanwhile, the EC is significantly faster while the GEM lags behind lowering confidence in the mid term as well. && .AVIATION... PANC...Northerly surface winds will continue into the afternoon with Turnagain Arm winds bringing in a southeasterly wind aloft resulting in low level wind shear. In the afternoon surface winds should shift to the southeast and cut off the wind shear. There is high confidence that the surface winds will shift to the southeast, but there remains some question as to exactly when. Then in the evening winds will slacken for the remainder of the TAF period. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 and 2)... The strong low just southeast of the Kenai Peninsula is now slowly tracking back to the northwest where it will quickly weaken as it moves over Cook Inlet this afternoon and evening. The most significant weather with this system continues to be in the eastern Kenai Peninsula where heavy snowfall fell overnight. While there is a brief lull early this morning there, the low center moving over the area will bring in more snow through the day and with blowing snow also a concern especially during the morning. While the expected snowfall is not quite up to typical criteria for a winter storm warning for that zone, the warning was continued. A large part of this reasoning is the blowing snow this morning and the additional snowfall throughout the day will make travel through the Seward Highway...especially from Turnagain Pass to Moose Pass very difficult. Snowfall overnight from some SNOTEL stations in the area and the snow stake in Turnagain Pass show accumulations in the 18 to 24 inch range since late yesterday afternoon. Be aware that even after the warning expires this afternoon, persistent snow showers with some heavy at times, will continue over the eastern Kenai Peninsula through Saturday. Anchorage, the Mat-SU valleys and the western Kenai Peninsula will mostly have the downslope cutting off the snowfall with just a few snow showers making it through. The track of the low looks like it will also bring some southeast winds into Anchorage this afternoon which will cause temperatures to jump into the mid 30s to lower 40s before dropping again late this evening. The Matanuska Valley will see a similar situation with the southeast winds kicking in and increasing temperatures. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA (Days 1 and 2)... The prolonged snow event which brought heavy snow to the region is slowly beginning to wind down. Some of the early snowfall totals just from yesterday afternoon were quite impressive, with King Salmon having reported 17 inches and Iliamna reporting 18 inches. Both stations still had heavy snowfall occurring at the time of these reports yesterday afternoon. For King Salmon, this marks the highest two day total since 1993, and the sixth highest total for 48 hours ever reported. The storm which brought the heavy snowfall continues to slowly fill and weaken, with it currently located south of Prince William Sound earlier this morning. As the storm moves towards the central Cook Inlet and then to the Iliamna area, wrap around areas of snow or snow showers will continue through the day, with additional light accumulations likely. Otherwise, a short-wave ridge of high pressure will build across southwest Alaska for your Saturday, bringing a brief period of clearing skies and drier conditions. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days 1 and 2)... Winds will continue to decrease through the day as the storm system which brought the strong winds and snow squalls continues to slowly weaken. In its wake look for a fast moving narrow ridge of high pressure to traverse the region from west to east, allowing for a decrease in snow shower coverage as skies clear some. This will be short-lived however, as another system enters the western Bering and Aleutian chain by late evening/overnight tonight, moving rapidly east during your day tomorrow. Winds and precipitation will once again increase as the front approaches, with precipitation becoming more showery in the wake of a cold frontal passage. Once again snow will be the predominant precipitation type, but some warm air may sneak into western to perhaps west central portions of the Bering, and for most of the Aleutian chain. && .LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 3 through 7)... The long term forecast is dominated by a trough of low pressure that stretches from northwestern Alaska, to well southeast of Kodiak Island. This trough will eventually get pinched off as a weak wave slides in from the west. A lot of the action and uncertainty evolve from the jet rounding the base of this trough. While the small scale details are still uncertain, we can expect one, or a few lows to move north and along the SE panhandle Sunday and into Monday. Flow looks to remain supportive for no precipitation for the Anchorage Bowl through this time. Chances for snow may increase again next week as a front moves through the area Monday/Tuesday. Due to a large spread in the models, WPC guidance focused entirely on ensemble means, with no influence from any operational members as we move into the middle of next week. && .AFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...Winter Storm Warning...125. MARINE...Gales...119 120 125 130 131 132 138 155 160 165 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 185 351 352 411 412 413 414. Heavy Freezing Spray...160 180 181 185. && SYNOPSIS AND MODEL DISCUSSION...DK SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...EZ SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...PD LONG TERM...SS
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
The snow stake at mile post 69.9 recorded 24 of snow in 24 hours. A school bus went off the road in Moose Pass.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, March 2018
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: 742272.