Strong low pressure produced strong winds and blizzard conditions on Saint Lawrence Island April 2nd, 2020.
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 AFG wrote it up.
Strong low pressure produced strong winds and blizzard conditions on Saint Lawrence Island April 2nd, 2020.
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 Apr 2, 3:13 AM AKST, 4 hours 47 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 413 AM AKDT Thu Apr 2 2020 .SYNOPSIS... The progressive weather pattern continues for northern Alaska as a series of weather systems moves across. A front pushing across the Western Interior early this morning will continue into the central and eastern Interior today. A second system moving onto the West Coast this evening and to the Interior on Friday will bring snowfall. A third system will be on it’s heels moving onto the West Coast Friday night into Sunday bringing the potential for heavy snowfall and strong winds to the West Coast and Western Interior. && .DISCUSSION... Aloft, at 500 mb, a 558 dam ridge over the Canadian Archipelago with the ridge axis stretching southwest to Tok will move eastward today and weaken. A 506 dam longwave trough is centered over far northwest Chukotka, stretching south across the Bering, with a series of shortwave troughs rotating through the flow. A shortwave trough that currently stretches across the Chukchi Sea to the Western Interior will move northeast across the Central and Eastern Interior today and north of the North Slope by this evening. A second shortwave over the western Bering Sea this morning will move eastward today, approaching St Lawrence Island by this afternoon and moving onshore the West Coast by this evening. The shortwave will continue northeast across the Interior Friday before lifting off the Arctic Coast early Saturday morning, as a ridge moves quickly eastward behind it. The next low moves east across the Bering Sunday. Surface...A weather front across the Western Interior early this morning will move east across the Central and Eastern Interior today. A 1009 mb low near Wrangel Island with associated warm front stretching southeast from it along the Arctic Coast and a cold front stretching south across the Chukchi Sea will move north today to be a 1006 mb low 100 nm north of Wrangel Island this afternoon. The warm front will move north of the North Slope and weaken, while the cold front will push quickly across the NW Chukchi Sea Coast and the North Slope this afternoon. By Friday morning, the low will strengthen to 1003 mb as it moves northeast to be 450 nm NW of Utqiagvik. A 1004 mb low off the eastern Kamchatka Peninsula will move northeast today to be a 1005 mb low 75 nm west of St Lawrence Island this afternoon, continuing northeast to be a 1008 mb low 50 nm west of Point Hope Friday afternoon. This low will drag a front across the West Coast and Western Interior this evening into Friday. A 988 mb low will move into the western Bering Sea Friday afternoon and deepen to 986 mb as it moves northeast to be just southwest of St Lawrence Island Saturday afternoon. The low will continue a northeast track to be north of the Bering Strait by Sunday morning. As the low moves northeast, it will drag a series of fronts across the West Coast with it. Models... 00Z model suite initialized fair against the 00Z RAOBS and the 00Z surface obs. At the surface, models continue to underestimate the strength of the high pressure over the Canadian Archipelago by 2 to 4 mb. Models are in fair agreement with the overall major features through early Saturday before model spread starts to become apparent. Increased wind speeds for the latter half of the forecast period, with the tightening pressure gradient due to the low moving across the Bering; leaned towards a blend of the 00Z NAM and 00Z GFS. Maintained much of the inherited forecast for pops, blending in the SREF for the later portion of the forecast. North Slope and Brooks Range: A front moving across the region will bring snow to the Brooks Range and the North Slope today. The highest snowfall amounts are expected on the southern slopes of the Brooks Range, where another inch of snow is possible, while elsewhere, snowfall amounts will generally be half an inch or less. Gusty winds continue in the passes of the eastern Brooks Range, so maintained the Winter Weather Advisory for 206 for blowing snow through noon. Winds are expected to diminish later this morning. Winds pick up in the passes of the eastern Brooks Range once again on Saturday, with gusts to 40 mph possible. Another weather system moving across the region will bring another round of snow Friday and Saturday, with the heaviest snow once again occurring on the southern facing slopes of the Brooks Range. West Coast and Western Interior: A weather front is moving north and east across the Western Interior this morning, spreading snow eastward, with an additional 1 to 2 inches of snow expected. Snow associated with this system will taper off later this morning. The next system starts to bring snow to St Lawrence Island, the Bering Strait, and the Y-K Delta late this afternoon and evening, dropping 1 to 3 inches of snow through Friday. In the favored upslope areas of the Seward Peninsula, higher amounts are possible, with a potential of up to 5 inches for Nome. A stronger weather system will move into the western Bering Sea Friday, approach St Lawrence Island Saturday afternoon, and move north of the Bering Strait Saturday night. This system has the potential to bring strong winds along with heavy snowfall, especially in the favored upslope areas. Rain or freezing rain may mix with the snow at times. Winter Storm Watches have been issued for zones 211 and 212, for Friday afternoon through Saturday night, for primarily heavy snow. Central and Eastern Interior: A front will push across the region today from the west, bringing snow with it. Snowfall amounts will be on the light side, with the highest amounts of up to 2 inches, occurring west of Fairbanks. Snowfall will taper off this evening. A low moving east in the Gulf of Alaska, will push moisture up over the Alaska Range and across the southeast Interior, bringing a better chance of snow Friday to the Middle Tanana Valley and the southeast Interior. Snowfall amounts will be in the 1 to 3 inch range. The next system to impact the region moves in from the west on Saturday, bringing widespread snowfall to the Interior Saturday and Sunday, with the heaviest snowfall occurring west of Fairbanks along a line from Bettles to Minto and west. There still remains a fair amount of spread in models for snowfall amounts. Temperatures are expected to warm through the weekend. Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...This weekend a strong area of low pressure that will affect the west coast will bring potential for elevated water levels and overflow along the coast. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ206. Winter Storm Watch for AKZ211-AKZ212. Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ210-PKZ235-PKZ240-PKZ245. && APR 20
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 418 AM AKDT Thu Apr 2 2020 AKZ207>215-030200- Chukchi Sea Coast-Lower Kobuk and Noatak Valleys- Baldwin Peninsula and Selawik Valley- Northern and Interior Seward Peninsula- Southern Seward Peninsula Coast- Eastern Norton Sound and Nulato Hills- St Lawrence Island and Bering Strait Coast-Yukon Delta- Lower Yukon Valley- Including Point Hope, Shishmaref, Kivalina, Espenberg, Noatak, Kiana, Red Dog Mine, Kotzebue, Selawik, Noorvik, Buckland, Deering, Candle, Council, Haycock, Pilgrim Springs, Serpentine Hot Springs, Taylor, Nome, White Mountain, Golovin, Unalakleet, Stebbins, St Michael, Elim, Koyuk, Shaktoolik, Gambell, Savoonga, Brevig Mission, Teller, Wales, Diomede, Mountain Village, Emmonak, Alakanuk, Kotlik, Pilot Station, St Marys, Scammon Bay, Marshall, Nunam Iqua, Pitkas Point, Russian Mission, Grayling, Holy Cross, Shageluk, Anvik, and Flat 418 AM AKDT Thu Apr 2 2020 ...Active Weather Expected for the West Coast This Weekend... A strong area of low pressure moving through the Bering Sea will bring an active period of weather to the west coast of Alaska this weekend. While there is still some uncertainty with the exact details of this system, strong winds and localized heavy precipitation are expected. Precipitation looks to begin late Friday evening. Snow may mix with rain or freezing rain at times, especially through Saturday night. This system also has the potential to cause elevated water levels along the coast over the weekend. As water levels rise there is the potential to push water on top of the ice through open leads and along the coast where shorefast ice is breaking up. Please stay tuned to weather.gov/fairbanks as the details of this system come into better focus.
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard conditions were observed at Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island. Visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less at times in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 32 kt (37 mph) at the Savoonga AWOS.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2020
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: 875698.