A front moving ahead of a low entering the southern Bering Sea approached the Pribilof Islands from the south on March 18. A cold air mass in place ahead of the front coupled with the sea ice edge only a few miles from the islands allowed for a short period of blizzard conditions to develop as strong east-northeasterly winds and snow moved in.
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 front moving ahead of a low entering the southern Bering Sea approached the Pribilof Islands from the south on March 18. A cold air mass in place ahead of the front coupled with the sea ice edge only a few miles from the islands allowed for a short period of blizzard conditions to develop as strong east-northeasterly winds and snow moved in. The front reached the Southwest Alaska coast later that afternoon, leading to blizzard conditions along the Kuskokwim Delta coast through the early morning hours of March 19.
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 18, 3:33 AM AKST, 5 hours 27 minutes earlier.
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 433 AM AKDT Mon Mar 18 2024 .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 through 3)... Widespread snow from Cook Inlet north to the Susitna Valley and mixed rain/snow across Prince William Sound continues this morning as a surface low south of Seward drifts across the northern Gulf. Snow over Cook Inlet is due to a mid-level trough extending from the parent low as well as a weak shortwave lifting northeast from the Alaska Peninsula. A general 1-3 inches of snow is expected from Kenai north to Talkeetna through Monday morning as the trough slowly continues northeast to the Copper River Basin and weakens through the day today. Up to four inches is possible over higher elevations and where upslope flow is favorable - Anchorage Hillside, Skwentna, and the Parks Highway north of Talkeetna - is also possible. The surface low over the Gulf will also weaken today as it moves east and exits the region by early Tuesday morning. A ridge of high pressure will build in from the western Gulf to the northern Gulf later on Monday and remain in place through midweek. Generally quiet weather is expected with the ridge in place; however weak waves moving along the northern periphery of the ridge may bring occasional cloud cover to Southcentral. The biggest forecast challenge in the short term will be the extent of lingering low stratus and/or fog across Cook Inlet and the Copper River Basin overnight Monday into Tuesday morning. There is also the potential, if low clouds and fog do linger, for pockets of freezing drizzle from Kenai to Anchorage and Talkeetna Tuesday morning. Forecast confidence in this scenario is low; however, there is support for this in the latest (00z and 06z) forecast soundings. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days 1 through 3)... A strong front is currently situated over the central/eastern Aleutians and will continue working its way northward through Tuesday. Warmer air behind the front will allow for a large area of widespread snow transitioning to rain or a rain/snow mix today. Adak has already switched to rain around 3AM; Dutch Harbor is still currently showing snow (as of 4AM) but should transition to rain within the next few hours. Winds have ramped up overnight along the Aleutians and southern Alaska Peninsula and are expected to remain gusty through at least Tuesday morning. There is a Blizzard Warning currently in effect for the Pribilof Islands beginning early this morning and persisting into this afternoon. Snow has started at Saint George (as of 3AM) and is quickly approaching Saint Paul Island. Strongest winds will be later this morning, with another burst of gale force winds pushing over the Pribilofs early Tuesday morning. Temperatures are expected to rise above freezing this afternoon, diminishing the threat of blowing snow with the second round of gales move through. As far as precipitation along the Southwest Mainland goes, most of it will be confined to the Kuskokwim Delta coast and along upslope regions of western Bristol Bay. A Blizzard Warning for the Kuskokwim Delta coast has been issued and is in effect from 6PM this evening to 7AM Tuesday. Temperatures will warm across Southwest As well, through at a slower rate, with temperatures rising above freezing on Tuesday. Winds along the Southwest coast and the Alaska Peninsula will continue to be gusty through Tuesday afternoon, well after precipitation has diminished. && .LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 4 through 7: Thursday through Sunday)... The long term forecast remains largely unchanged. The upper level pattern will be highly amplified, featuring deep troughing over the Bering Sea and Aleutians and a stout ridge across much of Mainland Alaska and the Gulf. This large scale weather pattern will favor warmer than average temperatures across Southern Alaska. While drier weather and lighter winds are expected for Southcentral Alaska under the ridge, much more active weather will be in store for the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Southwest Alaska as several storms move through. The biggest challenge in the long term will be honing in on the track and evolution of these storms, which will then inform where the strongest winds (likely to gale force or higher) and heaviest precipitation are expected. Beginning early Thursday morning, a complex low with multiple centers will slide north across the Bering Sea. Confidence is low with the location of the embedded low centers, but models seem to be converging on stronger winds surging across the Eastern Aleutians, Alaska Peninsula, and Southwest coastline through Thursday. The next storm arrives Friday from the North Pacific, with decent agreement that surface pressure will drop to about 970-980 mb. While the low looks to occlude as it moves into the Bering Sea, parts of the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea could still see gales along the front, as well as moderate to heavy precipitation. Forecast confidence decreases by late Friday, with the question of whether the aforementioned low is strong enough to completely displace the ridge extending across much of Alaska and the Gulf. If the low is strong enough to displace the ridge, its front will bring stronger winds and widespread precipitation to Southcentral. If the ridge holds strong, the front will remain west of Kodiak and allow drier and calmer weather to persist through the weekend. - KC && .AVIATION... PANC...VFR conditions this afternoon will gradually deteriorate back to MVFR by late this evening and into the overnight hours as snow begins to move back into the area. Periods of light snow will peak Early Monday morning with a total snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Expect VFR ceilings and drier conditions Monday afternoon through the remainder of the week. &&
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
957 AM AKDT Mon Mar 18 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0957 AM Snow 2 NE Sterling 60.54N 150.75W
03/18/2024 E3.5 inch Kenai Peninsula AK Official NWS Obs
&&2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
The Saint Paul ASOS did not report visibility during this event. Winds gusted 35 knots (40 mph) or greater with whiteout conditions seen on FAA webcam imagery between 10 am and 2 pm on March 18, during which temperatures were also below freezing. At 6 pm, an NWS employee at the Saint Paul Weather Service Office measured between 4 to 6 inches of snow from the event.
The Mekoryuk AWOS observed blizzard conditions with one quarter mile visibility or less with winds 30 knots (35 mph) or greater from around 4 pm on March 18 until just after midnight on March 19. Temperatures began to warm into the mid 30s Fahrenheit as snow turned to rain on the morning of March 19, leading to improved conditions.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, March 2024
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: 1163830, 1163831.