A low pressure moving northward from the North Pacific set up a tight pressure gradient across the area in conjunction with a band of snowfall resulting in limited visibilities.
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 moving northward from the North Pacific set up a tight pressure gradient across the area in conjunction with a band of snowfall resulting in limited visibilities.
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 17, 4:06 AM AKST, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 506 AM AKDT Thu Mar 17 2022 .ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS... A polar low in Bristol Bay continues its southward trajectory, spending the day crossing the AKPen and pushing into the North Pacific. This system essentially re-amplifies as it merges with a secondary North Pacific low, stalling briefly in the southern Gulf and then pivoting north/northwest wards tracking towards Kodiak Island. The cold Arctic air being pulled southwards across the eastern Bering will inevitably wind up wrapping around the low and pushing lingering colder air into the Gulf. East-west oriented upper-level ridging moves over the Copper Basin and northern Susitna Valley by tomorrow morning and gets shunted off to the north as the aforementioned North Pacific low enters the Gulf. Longwave upper level ridging has been, and will continue bombarding the western Bering through the at least the short term. && .MODEL DISCUSSION... Overall, models are in relatively good agreement through the short term. There are some weak surface lows sporadically placed withing a trough in the northern Gulf, but otherwise consensus is fine through Friday night. A North Pacific low pushing towards the southern Gulf is giving the models a difficult time specifically with center location and system strength. General track is being handled well across all solutions, with some light variations in speed. The NAM/GFS are working in tandem for the most part, while the Canadian and EC are lagging behind, the EC being placed furthest east. && .AVIATION... PANC...Mostly VFR conditions and light winds will persist. Conditions may to drop to marginal during the morning hours and then improve again for the afternoon and evening hours. Cloud ceilings will likely be at or just below 5000' through much of the afternoon before raising this evening. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Thursday through Saturday night)... An upper-level shortwave and associated surface trough will move from the northern Gulf this morning into the interior of Southcentral by Thursday evening. As it does, precipitation will spread from the northern Gulf and Prince William Sound north and west across Cook Inlet and into the Susitna Valley. As this wave and the precipitation both progress north and west, a surge of cold air wrapping into an upper low out west will move out of the western Gulf northeast into the Cook Inlet region. This cold air advection moving in aloft should allow for the precipitation to fall as snow showers, with a lingering rain/snow mix possible along the immediate coast. The surface trough and associated push of cold air will stall along the coast and over northern Cook Inlet. Thus, chances for any snow showers will quickly diminish across the Mat-Su Valleys and Copper River Basin, with the Talkeetnas and Alaska Range seeing the best chances. By Thursday evening, the upper-level low over the AKPen slips south. As it does, a North Pacific low will lift north into the southern Gulf, preceded by two distinct upper-level waves associated with the frontal system of a developing surface low in the Southern Gulf. The first of these will move to the coast late Thursday, keeping precipitation going along the coast, especially along the eastern Kenai Peninsula coast and western Prince William Sound given the persistent easterly flow aloft. The second wave will move from the eastern Gulf across the northern Gulf and to the western Gulf by Friday afternoon. This feature will move in tandem with the surface front which will act to not only increase northerly gap winds, but bring more precipitation in the form of rain/snow along the coast and snow farther inland and at elevation. By Friday, the front advances to Kodiak Island, where a northerly wind should hold temperatures in the lower to mid 30s. Thus, precipitation is expected to fall as wet snow across the island, with rain eventually moving in around Kodiak City Friday afternoon or evening as warmer air pushes to the coast. Still, 3 to 6 inches of snow are possible with this system. Elsewhere, intermittent clouds are expected across interior Southcentral. The east-northeasterly flow aloft should keep the bulk of the precipitation along the coast. The exception to this may be upslope areas of the Glenn Highway around Eureka where occasional light snow is possible. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA (Days 1 through 3: Today through Saturday night)... Steady light snow showers continues over much of Southwest AK early this morning, while a stacked vertical low crosses the Alaska Peninsula for the western Gulf into noon today. Moisture from the northern Gulf channeling west and across the Alaska Range enhances clouds rotating through Bristol Bay including Iliamna, Koliganek and Platinum. Strong wind gradient over the coastal waters will force the aforementioned low into the deep North Pacific by this evening. This same low will become absorbed into the next North Pacific low approaching the Gulf by tonight, leading to upper short waves rotating across parts of the lower Kuskokwim Valley and over much of Bristol Bay Fri night through Sat night. This pattern will continue to bring unsettled weather and periods of light snow there. Cold polar air will continue to push through the region especially to the west of the lower Kuskokwim through the weekend, where low temperatures will fall to zero to 10 above for the next few nights. Brisk northerly winds will persist over much of the region through the weekend. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days 1 through 3: Today through Saturday night)... Cold air from the Arctic will persist across the Bering with areas of gales across the northern and eastern Bering with the strongest winds south of the Eastern Aleutians and AKPen, while potentially storm force gusts out of bays and passes continues through at least Friday and possibly into Saturday. Another shortwave with cold air will move out of Siberia and push southward across the Bering late today through Friday producing a wide swath of gales across much of the Bering through Saturday. Otherwise expect snow showers south of the ice edge across the northern Bering and extending south to the Aleutians and AKPen. Expect severals inches of snow across the Eastern Aleutians and AKPen over the short term as cold air continues to produce snow showers through at least Saturday. && .Marine (Days 3 through 5: Saturday through Monday)... Gulf of Alaska: A well developed low exits the Southwestern Gulf as a second well developed low enters the Southcentral Gulf on Sunday. The second low moves to the Southwestern Gulf for Monday. Forecast guidance is good. The wind wrapped first low brings high end gales across the Gulf and through Cook Inlet, Barren Islands and Shelikof Strait, diminishing Sunday. Gale force gap winds continue along the Alaska Peninsula through Monday. The wind wrapped second low spreads high end gales over the Gulf with possible storm force winds South of Kodiak Island through Monday. Seas to 12 feet over the Northern Gulf and to 18 feet across the Southern Gulf through Monday. Freezing spray possible South and West of Kodiak Island Saturday. Bering Sea: The Western Bering high pressure continues its Southward track, with its North side ridge moving across the Bering through Monday. Several troughs move over the Eastern Bering through Monday. Widespread high end gales move over the Eastern Bering, Aleutians and Alaska Peninsula, diminishing over the Bering Monday. Gap winds persist along the Pacific side of the Aleutians and Alaska Peninsula through Monday. Seas to 20 feet over the Bering side of the Central and Eastern Aleutians and Alaska Peninsula through Sunday, subsiding. A front approaches the Western Aleutians and Bering for Monday. Gusty winds increase to widespread high end gales across the Western Aleutians and Bering. Seas building to 20 feet for Monday. Freezing spray expected in open waters over the Western and Central Bering through Saturday. && .Long Term Discussion (Days 4 through 7: Sunday through Wednesday)... The latest operational model runs and ensemble means are decently clustered with the evolution and progression of the synoptic scale features, but diverge in the specific details towards the end of the period. Models seem to have a general consensus will be a long wave pattern through early next week, with a broad trough persisting over Mainland Alaska through Monday. Meanwhile, an upper level low will be positioned somewhere in the central Gulf that will pinwheel a series of shortwaves and associated surface lows northward. Even though there is a good amount of discrepancy and variability with these shortwaves, most of the precipitation will be concentrated through the Panhandle and up into the southern coasts. Much of the mainland should be relatively dry during the period, with the exception for potential snow showers by late Sunday in the eastern interior. Otherwise, temperatures are expected to be below normal across the coastal areas and interior valleys, but trending toward normal next week. Out west, a ridge of high pressure will build across the Bering Sea. A reinforcement of cold air advection will help drive northerly winds funneling through the gaps and passes of the Alaska Peninsula and Eastern Aleutian Islands. Wrap around moisture on the backside of the aforementioned upper low will bring occasional snow showers into these regions later this week. A drying trend commences on Monday as the ridge axis shifts over the western mainland, while a gale force front extending from a Kamchatka low moves slowly east across the Western/Central Aleutians. From Tuesday beyond, there is considerable spread how far the front progresses with a variety of solutions over the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. && .AFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...NONE. MARINE...Gale Warning 119 120 131 132 138 150 155 165 170 171 172 178 179 180 181 185 351 352 414 Heavy Freezing Spray Warning 165 179 180 185 412 414 FIRE WEATHER...NONE. && SYNOPSIS AND MODEL DISCUSSION...KM SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...TM SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...CB MARINE/LONG TERM...MK/MF
4 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold Bay ASOS (PACD) reported one quarter mile visibility with heavy snow and freezing fog. Winds were also sustained out of the northwest at 25 knots with gusts to 35 knots. Cold Bay was down between one quarter to one half mile throughout the day along with winds gusting as high as 40 mph.
Dutch Harbor ASOS (PADU) reported sustained winds of the north at 21 knots with gusts to 29 knots. One half mile visibility with moderate snow and freezing fog was also observed on the 19th at 2:34 am. The peak of the event was on the 19th throughout the day when Dutch Harbor observed sustained north winds of 30 knots with gusts to 35 knots. Also, one quarter mile visibility, heavy snow and freezing fog was observed.
Kodiak ASOS (PADQ) reported sustained winds out of the northwest of 15 knots with gusts to 23 knots along with one half mile visibility, moderate snow and freezing fog on the 18th at 12:53 PM. Moderate to heavy snow bands moved onshore from the Gulf of Alaska bringing one half mile visibility along with gusty northwest winds to 35 mph the afternoon and evening on the 18th. Peak of the event occurred on the afternoon of the 18th when one quarter mile visibility, heavy snow, and sustained northwest winds of 21 knots with gusts to 30 knots were observed.
False Pass reported one quarter mile visibility along with heavy snow and freezing fog. Winds were also sustained out the north-northwest at 22 knots with gusts to 29 knots. This product was issued for Cold Bay westward mostly due to the observations at False Pass airport. False Pass was down at a quarter mile or less for approximately 12 straight hours on the 19th. (between 9 AM and 9 PM).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, March 2022
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: 1019251, 1019252, 1019253, 1019254.