A strong pressure gradient produced strong winds and low wind chills across the Eastern North Slope on February 5th 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.
A strong pressure gradient produced strong winds and low wind chills across the Eastern North Slope on February 5th 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 Feb 4, 2:39 PM AKST, 14 hours 1 minute earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 239 PM AKST Tue Feb 4 2020 .SYNOPSIS... Widespread snow is expected to persist for the next couple of days from the Y-K Delta, across the Interior, and northeast to the eastern Brooks Range. Gusty north winds will linger across the eastern Bering Sea and West Coast, supporting low visibility, blowing snow, and occasional blizzard conditions particularly near the Bering Strait where winds are strongest. High pressure will build over the Chukchi Sea Thursday, pushing the snow south and east and reinforcing cold temperatures across Western and Northern Alaska. && .DISCUSSION... Aloft 500 mb... Longwave troughing encompasses the eastern Chukchi and Beaufort Seas southwest to the central and western Bering Sea. The longwave is anchored in place by closed lows north of Point Barrow and Kamchatka, respectively. A ridge axis extends north from the eastern Pacific across the Alaska panhandle, Northwest Territories, and into the Canadian Archipelago. The Kamchatka low will push a series of shortwaves into the easter Bering Sea, which will strengthen and draw energy from the north Pacific. This will chip away at the ridge and result in a very progressive pattern across the southern Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska through this week. Meanwhile, the low north of Point Barrow will gradually track southwest into the Chukchi Sea by Thursday as high pressure strengthens over the Siberian Arctic. Model guidance generally remains in good agreement into the weekend, favoring continued longwave troughing over the Bering Sea with a return to ridging over eastern Alaska and western Canada. North Slope and Brooks Range... In contrast to the southern half of the state, northern Alaska weather looks to change little over the course of the week. A weather front originating from a low in the Bering Sea stretches across the Interior to the Eastern Brooks Range and Mackenzie Bay. This will support light snow across the eastern Brooks Range in the amount of roughly 2 to 4 inches through Thursday. North and west of the front, north winds driven by strong high pressure over the Siberian Arctic will support continued cold temperatures and mainly clear skies. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the eastern Beaufort Coast due to a combination of reduced visibility due to blowing snow, and wind chills around 50 to 60 below. West Coast and Western Interior... A weather front extends northeast from low pressure situated over Nunivak Island. Snowfall is decreasing in intensity, though light snow is expected to linger through Thursday along the front. Additionally, very strong north winds with gusts to 60 mph will continue to cause blizzard conditions at times for St. Lawrence Island as well as the Bering Strait region through tonight. Most areas south and east of a line from Emmonak to Koyuk to Shungnak can expect to pick up an additional 1 to 3 inches per day through Thursday. Near freezing temperatures along the coast from Cape Romanzof south may support periods of mixed precipitation through this evening before going to all snow as temperatures decrease tonight. By Thursday afternoon, the front will begin to drop southeast to be replaced by colder temperatures and mostly clear skies. Central and Eastern Interior... A complex arrangement of surface features including an extended frontal boundary spanning the Yukon Delta to the eastern Brooks Range, as well as low pressure in the Gulf of Alaska continues to support light snow across much of the region. Light snow will persist through Friday for most areas north and west of a line from Delta Junction to Eagle. The greatest accumulation is generally expected from Minto to Bettles, where an additional 4 to 7 inches of snow is possible through early Friday. Fairbanks can expect roughly an inch or two of accumulation during that time frame. Snowfall may increase in intensity at times, resulting in low visibility. The forecast rate of snowfall stands just short of advisory criteria, though we will monitor carefully for any changes. Weak southerly flow across the Alaska Range will support slightly warmer than average temperatures through this weekend. Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Chill Advisory for AKZ207. Winter Storm Warning for AKZ213-AKZ219. Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ204. Gale Warning for PKZ210-PKZ220. Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ200-PKZ225. && COWMAN FEB 20
1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Low wind chills were observed at Kuparuk Mesonet. Winds of 15 mph or greater and cold temperatures produced wind chills of 65 below or colder at Kuparuk.
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, February 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: 877844.