Strong low pressure produced snow and blowing Snow over much of the West Coast of Alaska and inland areas February 7th through the early morning hours of the 9th. Heavy snow fell over inland areas of the western Interior.
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 snow and blowing Snow over much of the West Coast of Alaska and inland areas February 7th through the early morning hours of the 9th. Heavy snow fell over inland areas of the western Interior.
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 7, 3:56 AM AKST, 12 hours 4 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 356 AM AKST Fri Feb 7 2020 .SYNOPSIS... Snow continuing across the Central and Eastern Interior this morning. Skies expected to remain mostly cloudy in these areas going into the weekend, as snow slowly dissipates going into the evening hours. Wind Chill Advisories continue for the West Coast, as temperatures continue to plummet and winds remain in the 10-15 mph range. Expect very cold temperatures to continue along the West Coast and the Western Interior ahead of a strong winter storm that will push up into the Western Interior beginning early tomorrow morning. && .DISCUSSION... The main weather features in the upper levels consists of a strong low just north of Kotzebue Sound, a weaker closed low east of Bristol Bay, and a ridge centered over the panhandle of Alaska. The closed low near Bristol Bay will lift to the northeast and move over the Central and Eastern Interior by Saturday morning and off into Canada by Saturday afternoon. The strong closed low near Kotzebue Sound will remain strong going into next week, as it dips to the southwest over the Gulf of Anadyr by Saturday morning and then rotating back over the West Coast by Monday night. A reinforcing wave will merge with this strong upper level feature Saturday morning, with strong south flow developing over the West Coast and east into the Alaska Range. This south flow is expected to remain through Saturday, with the flow turning more southwest by early Sunday morning. Model agreement up to the latest runs are in good agreement through Saturday morning, but discrepancies exist on how the strong upper level low off the West Coast will move east beginning early Sunday morning. This upper level low will usher in very cold air early next week, with the GFS bringing the cold air center through central Alaska, while the ECMWF and Canadian keep the coldest air further north over the Brooks Range and Arctic Coast. At the surface, a weak low near Bristol Bay will move east today, with light snow in the Central Interior and stretching into the Yukon Flats continuing into this evening. Weak north flow through the Bering Strait will begin to strengthen Saturday morning as a strong low pressure begins to move north into the Kuskokwim Bay early Saturday morning. This low pressure will move into the Norton Sound region by Saturday evening, and then continue north into Kotzebue Sound by Sunday morning. The strong low pressure is projected to significantly impact the West Coast and Western Interior with heavy snow, strong winds, and blowing snow. Latest model guidance has the low tracking further west than previous runs, with noticeable differences in track timing between models. However, general consensus at this time is widespread impacts along the West Coast and the Western Interior starting Saturday morning and lasting through Sunday morning. Central and Eastern Interior... Light snow continuing today and then dissipating this evening over the Central Interior from Lake Minchumina and northeast into the Eastern Interior over the Yukon Flats. Additional snow accumulations of 1-2 inches are expected through this evening. Otherwise, cloudy conditions expected to continue into the weekend. Southerly flow will result in increasing winds in the Alaska Range beginning on Saturday and lasting into Sunday night. Winds will also be increasing through the Tanana Valley and in higher terrain as strong low pressure moves along the West Coast during this time frame. Temperatures will remain above average through the weekend due to the strong southerly flow. North Slope and Brooks Range... Mid-level clouds over the central Arctic Coast and Plains are keeping temperatures in the low to mid 30s below, with clear areas ranging from mid-30s to mid-40s below this morning. Temperatures are expected to remain in this range going into the weekend. As low pressure moves up the West Coast on Saturday, temperatures expected to warm slightly going into next week. Otherwise, quiet weather continuing for the North Slope. West Coast and Western Interior... Wind chill issues continuing along the West Coast this morning. Temperatures continue to decrease as a strong upper level low pressure is bringing very cold Arctic air into the region. This cooling trend will continue going into tonight. Conditions are expected to change rapidly going into Saturday as strong low pressure will move north over the West Coast and Western Interior. Expect heavy snow, strong winds, and blowing snow to become a widespread issue for these areas going into Sunday night. The current forecast calls for storm total amounts of 1 to 3 inches along the West Coast, with 4 to 7 inches and up to 15 inches in favored upslope regions in the Western Interior. Temperatures will increase dramatically into mid-teens to mid-20s in the Western Interior and mid-teens below to near zero for the West Coast as this storm moves through on Saturday. Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Chill Advisory for AKZ207-AKZ209-AKZ210-AKZ211-AKZ212- AKZ213-AKZ214-AKZ215. Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ225-AKZ226. Winter Storm Warning for AKZ212-AKZ215-AKZ216. Wind Chill Warning for AKZ204. Winter Storm Watch for AKZ214-AKZ217-AKZ218-AKZ219. && FEB 20
3 blizzard, 1 winter storm, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard conditions were observed at the Cape Romanzof AWOS. Visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less at times in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 63 kt (72 mph) at the Cape Romanzof AWOS.
Kaltag reported a 12.0 inches of snow that fell on the 8th of February.
Blizzard conditions were observed at the Koyuk AWOS. Visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less at times in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 37 kt (43 mph) at the Koyuk AWOS.
Blizzard conditions were observed at the Tin City AWOS. 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 Tin City AWOS.
Blizzard conditions were observed at the Bettles ASOS. 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 Bettles ASOS.
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: 877850, 877871, 877869, 877887, 877885.