A 960 mb low moved north through the Bering Sea, bringing blizzard conditions to the northern portion of the Seward Peninsula.
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 960 mb low moved north through the Bering Sea, bringing blizzard conditions to the northern portion of the Seward Peninsula.
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 Mar 1, 2:10 PM AKST, 3 hours 37 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
210 PM AKST Wed Mar 1 2023
.SYNOPSIS...
A very strong storm over Norton Sound will move east across the
Interior tonight through Fri. An Arctic cold front the stretches
south from the low south to Bristol Bay will move the Central
Interior tonight and then move east to the ALCAN Border Thu
night.
This storm is causing snow across most of the West Coast and
Western Interior, and expect 1-2 inches of snow today through Thu
with precip diminishing from the west. Strong north winds that are
causing blowing snow and blizzard or near blizzard conditions
from Point Hope to the Bering Strait to the Yukon Delta will will
decrease slowly overnight tonight. This low and Arctic cold front
will spread light snow into the Central Interior tonight and into
the Ern Interior southeast of Eagle to Bettles on Thu that will
linger into Fri. The Central and Eastern Interior can expect 1-2
inches of snow tonight through Fri SE of Bettles and Eagle, with
4-6 inches near the Alaska Range and 4 inches along the Alaska
Highway east of Dot Lake. Will see NW winds of 25 gusting to 35
mph over Zone 210 from this evening through Thu afternoon along
with low visibility in blowing snow and will issue new Advisory
for 210 to reflect this. There are NW winds 15g25 mph and blowing
snow along the Arctic front over zone 215 that will linger into
this evening.
A strong low in the NE Gulf of AK will move near Whitehorse by
Thu, then continue east. This will cause snow to wrap around the
Alaska Range/Wrangel Mtns and into the SE Interior through Thu.
Expect 4-6 inches near the Alaska Range and 4 inches along the
Alaska Highway east of Dot Lake. Will likely see NW winds 15 mph
gusting to 25 mph along the AK Range Thu into Fri along with
blowing snow.
A strong storm moving north over the Western Bering Sea on Fri
will move into the Chukchi Sea on Sat. A trailing storm will move
north to the Central Bering Sea on Sat and to the Chukchi Sea on
Sun. This will bring snow, southerly gales and possible blizzard
conditions to the West Coast Fri night and Sat. Sat night and Sun
expect southerly gales, heavy snow along south facing slopes,
areas of freezing rain, and possible blizzard conditions along
the coast. Could also see water move on top of the ice along the
West Coast Sun.
Aloft...
The long wave pattern consists of a strong ridge over the Eastern
North Pacific and Eastern Alaska, with a deep trough over the
Bering Sea. A series of strong short waves moving through the
ridge are causing this to become a progressive pattern, with the
long wave trough moving over Alaska today and persisting into Thu
night. On Fri a strong ridge builds over the Bering Sea and then
Western Alaska, and then moves east over mainland Alaska and
builds strongly into the weekend. This will cause the current wet
and warm conditions to cool through Fri, with warming on the
weekend with very wet conditions over Western Alaska this weekend.
Surface...
High pressure north of the Arctic Coast of Alaska will build
through Fri. This is causing east winds 10-20 kt along the Arctic
Coast that will decrease Thu. Cold wind chills along the Arctic
Coast will become less severe on Thu as well.
A 980 mb low near Emmonak will move to Hughes as a 982 mb low by
3am Thu, to Bettles as a 1000 MB low by 3pm Thu, to near Ft Yukon
as a 1024 mb low by 3pm Fri, and to Old Crow by 3am Sat. An
occluded front stretching form this low to Howard Pass then east
along the Brooks Range will weaken in place through Thu.
An Arctic cold front the stretches from this low south to Bristol
Bay will move to Hughes to Denali tonight, and then to Bettles to
Northway by 3pm Thu, and to Ft Yukon to Old Crow to Burwash
Landing by 3am Fri, then continue moving east.
A strong low in the NE Gulf of AK will move near Whitehorse as a
978 mb low by 3pm Thu, then continue east. An occluded front
sketching from the Gulf of Alaska to Mayo, Yukon Territory. will
will linger into Thu, then weaken in place through Fri.
This is causing snow to wrap around the Alaska Range/Wrangel Mtns
and into the SE Interior now that will continue through Thu. More
snow will persist into Fri in the SE Interior as cold air
following the Arctic front pushes east. Expect 4-6 inches of snow near
the Alaska Range and 4 inches along the Alaska Highway east of
Dot Lake through Fri. Will likely see NW winds 15 mph gusting to
25 mph along the AK Range Thu into Fri along with blowing snow.
A strong storm moving north over the Western Bering Sea on Fri
will move into the Chukchi Sea on Sat. A trailing storm will move
north to the Central Bering Sea on Sat and to the Chukchi Sea on
Sun.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
At 12Z, models initialize well aloft, and models show similar
solutions aloft through the weekend.
At 850 MB models all show max temps today, then cooling
significantly tonight and Thu, with further slight cooling into
Fri. Then see very strong warming over Western Alaska on Sat and
Sat night, and over Eastern Alaska on Sat night and Sun. Surface
temperatures will follow the same trends as 850 MB temps. This
will bring a chance of mixed or freezing precipitation to the West
Coast and Western Interior on Sat night and Sun, and in the
Western North Slope on Sun.
With precipitation, models show similar general trends but differ
some in details. All the models, but particularly the NAM, appear
to diminish the precip over the SE INterior and Alaska Range more
quickly than we expect due to the NW upslope low level flow that
will continue into Fri. Will use a blend of models for precip with
the following caveats: expect 1-2 inches of snow today through Thu
with precip diminishing from the west. Expect 1-2 inches of snow
tonight through Fri Central and Ern Interior SE of Bettles and
Eagle, with 4-6 inches near the Alaska Range and 4 inches along
the Alaska Highway east of Dot Lake.
At the surface at 18Z, models verify well on surface low over
Norton Sound, but all verify 6-8 mb too weak on the low in the NE
Gulf of AK. Models verify well on highs north of Arctic Coast and
over NW Canada. For surface pattern/winds will use a blend of the
NAM over the land and Canadian over the water. Gale force winds
from Point Hope to the Bering Strait and south to the YK Delta
will gradually decrease tonight. NW winds will increase along and
through the Alaska Range from Thu into Fri. Expect this to cause
blowing snow issues along and through the Alaska Range Thu into
Fri.
Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...
A series of storms moving north over Bering Sea this weekend
could cause water to move up on top of the ice along the West
Coast of Alaska this weekend into early next week.
&&
.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Wind Chill Advisory for AKZ201>204.
Blizzard Warning for AKZ213.
Winter Storm Warning for AKZ214.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ216-217-227.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ224.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ207.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ210.
PK...Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ200.
Gale Warning for PKZ201-220.
Gale Warning for PKZ210.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ215.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ225.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ240-245.
&&Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 138 PM AKST Wed Mar 1 2023 AKZ207>214-022245- 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- 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, Hooper Bay, Marshall, Nunam Iqua, and Pitkas Point 138 PM AKST Wed Mar 1 2023 ...Strong Storms Impacting West Coast of Alaska This Weekend... A strong storm moving north over the Western Bering Sea on Friday will move into the Chukchi Sea on Saturday. This will bring snow, southerly gales and possible blizzard conditions to the West Coast of Alaska Friday night and Saturday. A trailing storm will move north to the Central Bering Sea on Saturday and to the Chukchi Sea on Sunday. This will bring southerly gales with gusts over 70 mph and possible blizzard conditions along the West Coast Saturday into Sunday. Inland areas will see heavy snow along south facing slopes, possible blizzard conditions, and possible freezing rain Saturday night into Monday. There could also be water moving on top of the sea ice along the West Coast Sunday into early next week. JB
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
As the low approached the area, wind speeds picked up and snow developed along the north coast of the Seward Peninsula. Buckland saw blizzard conditions for about a four hours on the evening of the 1st, with winds topping out at 46 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, March 2023
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: 1090712.