A lows in the Bering Sea impacted the Southwest Alaska coast with areas of Blizzard conditions. The Blizzard conditions occurred in conjunction with the warm fronts.
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 lows in the Bering Sea impacted the Southwest Alaska coast with areas of Blizzard conditions. The Blizzard conditions occurred in conjunction with the warm fronts.
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 19, 4:19 PM AKST, 50 minutes earlier.
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 519 PM AKDT Fri Mar 19 2021 .ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS... A closed upper level low is hanging out near the ALCAN border, coincident with the deep arctic air over much of the state. The upper pattern changes out over the Bering Sea with a deep multi- center upper level low pressure. While there is ridging between the two systems, it is not very amplified, as the jet stream remains mainly to the south of the Aleutians. At the surface it is clear and cold over much of mainland Alaska. Temperatures dropped into the negative teens overnight, but are recovering nicely with March sun, into the positive teens around Southcentral AK. The main surface system in the Bering Sea is west of Saint Matthew Island with a front that is extending onto the southwest mainland. && .MODEL DISCUSSION... The main feature to watch in guidance is the front over the Bering Sea, specifically where it stalls out, and consequently where the low at the triple point develops. Guidance is pretty locked into stalling the front directly over Kodiak Island and developing the new surface low directly overhead. Beyond that initial system, guidance remains in great agreement with the overall synoptic pattern remaining relatively quiet through early next week. && .AVIATION... PANC...VFR conditions and light winds will persist. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 through 3/Today through Mon afternoon)... Quiet weather conditions continue for much of Southcentral for the remainder of today with dry and sunny conditions with gusty winds out of gaps and passes. One item of note is the gusty winds through Valdez and Port Valdez that have been very persistent throughout the day. This is expected to continue through the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening hours. Winds may come down for Valdez for a time Saturday afternoon before ramping back up again Saturday evening when the pressure gradient strengthens once again. Therefore, expect these windy conditions to continue through the forecast package through Monday afternoon. Winds will also remain windy through Thompson Pass for this evening before subsiding some to around 15 to 25 mph overnight as the pressure gradient relaxes a little. Winds will begin to ramp back up again Saturday evening as the pressure gradient tightens once again. There also will be an upper level shortwave that may help to strengthen the winds some though with limited support due to the way the shortwave will be moving through. Mostly the pressure gradient and the cold air in the Copper River Basin will continue to drive these winds. An increase in clouds is also expected for most of Southcentral Saturday as a storm system to the south spreads some cloud cover north out ahead of it before clearing out again for Sunday. The streak of cold temperatures also continues through the weekend with temperatures remaining below freezing. Tonight will be another very cold night with especially the Copper River Basin and the Susitna Valley dipping into the teens and 20s below zero. Further south, higher clouds moving in and increase in wind is expected to limit temperatures from falling too far below zero. Kodiak will be the big weather story for the next 24 hours. A front from the southwest will continue moving northeastward with a triple point low forming just southeast of Kodiak City Saturday morning. This will continue to spread light snow across Kodiak Island from southwest to northeast through this evening reaching Kodiak City somewhere near 10 PM. Snow is expected to be the dominant precipitation type until around 4-7 am Saturday morning when warmer air will begin coming in aloft to start having the snow mix with rain. Enough warm air through the whole atmospheric column is expected to move into the Kodiak City area to change snow over to all rain for the daytime hours as temperatures rise above freezing. Winds will also be on the increase this evening and through the overnight as the system approaches with some blowing snow issues that may reduce visibility some overnight but not enough to warrant an advisory. Lastly, colder air wrapping back in on the backside of the low is expected to change rain back to a possible burst of snow but the intensity of this burst is still uncertain. A Special Weather Statement was issued for Kodiak this afternoon for the impending weather conditions. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA (Days 1 through 3: Friday afternoon through Monday)... A front is lifting onshore across the Southwest coast this afternoon. This front will bring gusty winds combined with snow, which will limit visibility to one half mile or less at times, especially along the coastal locations. Areas across the southern Alaska Peninsula will remain warmer with gusty southerly flow, and therefore will see rain with this system. The greatest snowfall is expected along the Bristol Bay coast, where 4 to 8 inches is expected. As this front continues to track eastward through Saturday, several upper level waves will keep snow showers in place across Southwest. By Saturday night, conditions are expected to improve as colder northerly flow arrives for Sunday. By early next week, an upper level trough arrives from the west, bringing another chance for snow to develop, particularly along the foothills of the Alaska Range. As this wave moves east, gusty northerly winds can be expected across the Kuskokwim Delta coast and Bristol Bay coast. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days 1 through 3: Friday afternoon through Monday)... A broad upper level trough remains in place over the Bering with a surface low centered over the northern Bering. Its associated front is in place over the eastern Bering, with another low center spinning up along the frontal boundary near the southern Alaska Peninsula. By tonight, colder air will begin filling in on the backside of the low with northwesterly flow expected across the western Bering. By Saturday morning, the low in the northern Bering will weaken and shift southward, moving toward the Pribilofs by Saturday night bringing snow showers and northerly flow. Conditions remain generally quiet for Sunday, with colder, northerly flow expected across the Bering through Monday. && .MARINE (Days 3 through 5: Monday through Wednesday)... Gulf of Alaska: No significant marine weather is expected in the Day 3 through 5 period. A weak low will move west to east across the southern Gulf Mon and Tue, which will allow for gusty winds out of bays and passes. Localized winds up to gale force are possible out of Kennedy Entrance on Tue. A front will approach the western Gulf on Wed with high confidence that winds will remain below gale force. Bering: Northerly winds over the eastern Bering are expected to be near gale force with gales likely out of bays and passes to the south of the eastern Aleutians/AK Pen. A gale force front extending from a Kamchatka low is expected to transverse the Bering from west to east Mon night through Wed morning. Winds are expected to decrease below gale force by Wed afternoon. && .LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 4 through 7: Tuesday through Friday)... A highly amplified pattern on Tue with a trough over the AK mainland and ridge over the Bering will transition to a more meridional pattern by Fri with slight troughing over the Bering and slight ridging over the mainland. The active weather is expected to move west to east beginning with a large frontal system traversing the Bering Tuesday morning and reaching Southwest Tue afternoon. The upper level trough and surface low are expected to be over the Chukchi Sea with a stout ridge over the north Pacific. This will place Southwest Alaska in a period of prolonged southwest flow through Thursday morning meaning there is potential for heavy snow or prolonged rain. Precipitation type at this time is low confidence with some model guidance increasing surface temperatures above freezing with 925 mb temperatures remaining just below freezing. Most of the upper level energy appears to stay north of Southcentral on Thursday, but with steady southwest flow of moisture aloft some snow or rain can’t be ruled out. Due to this flow pattern Southcentral could see its first warm up of the spring Thu and Fri. && .AFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...Winter Weather Advisory 155, 161. MARINE...Gale 119 120 130-132 138 139 150 160 180 181 185. Heavy Freezing Spray 130 139 180 185. FIRE WEATHER...NONE. && SYNOPSIS AND MODEL DISCUSSION...MTL SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...MV SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...KO MARINE/LONG TERM...CJ
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT National Weather Service ANCHORAGE AK 433 PM AKDT Fri Mar 19 2021 AKZ171-210800- Kodiak Island- Including the city of Kodiak City 433 PM AKDT Fri Mar 19 2021 ...SNOW CHANGING TO RAIN EXPECTED FOR KODIAK CITY THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY.... Light snow is expected to continue spreading from southwest to northeast across Kodiak Island this evening. Light snow is expected for the evening before picking up in intensity after midnight. As a result, due to the recent cold temperatures, snow is expected to cover roads quickly and create for slippery conditions. However, warmer air is expected to come in early Saturday morning and cause any snow to change to rain as temperatures rise into the mid to upper 30s Saturday morning. With the warming temperatures and some melting expected to occur, this will create for a slushy mess on area roadways. Rain is expected to transition back over to snow Saturday evening that is expected to create for icy conditions on roadways as temperatures fall back to near and slightly below freezing. All precipitation is expected to end around midnight Saturday night.
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Cape Newenham (PACZ) reported full conditions for three hours. At the peak of the event the visibility was 1/4SM in snow and blowing snow with a Northeast wind of 52 mph sustained gusting to 78 mph. Conditions were close to Blizzard for a number of hours before and after this time. At 12:50 PM AKST, visibility was also down to 1/4SM with East winds 53 gusting 64 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, March 2021
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: 948519.