On late March 8th, an occuded front from a Kamchatka low in the Bering reached Nunivak Island and the Kuskokwim Delta Coast. The front, combined with a cold air mass was able to bring strong gale force winds to the region.
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.
On late March 8th, an occuded front from a Kamchatka low in the Bering reached Nunivak Island and the Kuskokwim Delta Coast. The front, combined with a cold air mass was able to bring strong gale force winds to the region. Surface Winds were easterly and therefore, offshore. Winds gusted to over 40 mph at times. The front occluded before it reached the Pribilof Islands, limiting warm air advection. This, combined with mostly ice-covered waters around Nunivak Island, allowed temperatures to stay colder than otherwise. As a result, Nunivak Island received blizzard conditions for many hours, extending into the early morning hours of March 9th.
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 8, 4:01 PM AKST, 4 hours 54 minutes earlier.
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 401 PM AKST Sat Mar 8 2025 .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 through 3: Saturday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon)... Quieter weather today becomes much more active by tonight as a strong front pushes into Southcentral Alaska from the Bering Sea. Most of the impacts will be felt along Kodiak Island and the north Gulf coast, with Western Kenai Peninsula, Mat-Su Valleys, and Copper River Basin remaining mostly dry. Good synoptic model agreement has led to higher overall forecast confidence. However, snow amounts for Eastern Turnagain Arm and Eastern Kenai Peninsula remain highly uncertain as temperatures hover just above freezing. If you'll be in or traveling through these areas between early tomorrow morning and Monday afternoon, please exercise caution as potentially heavy snow, reduced visibilities, and slick roads could lead to difficult travel conditions. Diving into the details... mostly clear skies across much of Southcentral this afternoon, with the exception of showers moving across Eastern Kenai Peninsula as a shortwave rotates around an occluded low in the southeastern Gulf. These showers will reinvigorate late tonight as another shortwave sweeps in ahead of the arriving front. The front itself is already visible on satellite as it approaches Kodiak Island. Model agreement has improved significantly with this front, leading to higher forecast confidence at the synoptic scale. Models have trended slower and more southerly with this feature, keeping precipitation amounts a bit lower across Eastern Prince William Sound than previously forecast. Overall, the main focus with this feature continues to be Eastern Kenai Peninsula and Turnagain Arm, where persistent easterly flow will lead to upsloping and enhanced precipitation amounts from early tomorrow through about midday Monday. As mentioned in the previous forecast discussion, the main question will be where the rain/snow line sits. With pretty good confidence that daytime temperatures will climb into the mid-30s for areas like Girdwood, Portage Valley, and Whittier, the question will be (a) how much snow can accumulate before melting, and (b) will heavier showers drop temperatures just enough to facilitate higher surface accumulations? With colder air aloft, surface temperatures will be the pivotal piece of the puzzle. Generally, we're expecting any snow that falls to be wet and heavy, with the potential to mix with rain. The likelihood of snow accumulation will be highest overnight from Sunday into Monday, when temperatures will drop from their daytime highs. The envelope of possibilities is very wide with snow amounts in this area - our forecast is on the lower end of the spectrum as we anticipate above-freezing surface temperatures. As such, if temperatures stay low enough, there could be more snow than what's currently in the forecast, potentially in the double digits. Regardless of snow amounts, expect poorer weather and travel conditions with this storm. -Chen && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days 1 through 3: Today through Tuesday)... The strong front associated with the low pressure system centered between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Western Aleutians is currently pushing across the Eastern Bering Sea. Cold air wrapping back in behind the front will promote favorable conditions for heavy, more sporadic snow showers across much of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Chain for the next couple of days. Strong westerly winds will traverse the Aleutians through Tuesday. The front will begin to occlude as it hits the mainland coast this evening. Winter Weather Advisories have been issued for both the Kuskokwim Delta Coast, including Nunivak Island, and the Bristol Bay region from Dillingham north and west from 7PM this evening to 7AM tomorrow morning. Forecasted total snow accumulations range from 2 to 5 inches with even higher magnitudes expected over elevated terrain around the Wood River Mountains. Winds gusting up to 40 mph could cause visibilities to drop to one- half mile at times; especially this evening and overnight. Nunivak Island has the best chance for visibility to briefly drop to one-quarter mile overnight with heavy snow and 45+ mph wind gusts. Conditions look to improve through Sunday morning as winds begin to diminish and steady snow tapers to snow showers. A triple point low will form near Kodiak Island on Sunday, helping to enhance snow showers from Lake Iliamna north across interior Southwest through Monday afternoon. The weakening parent low in the Bering will push into mainland Alaska on Monday, bringing a round of light precip to coastal communities. This system will continue to weaken before getting absorbed by a low in the Gulf of Alaska Tuesday afternoon. By this time, the Aleutians will begin to see the impacts of a front associated with a low in the North Pacific. Moderate precipitation and gusty winds are likely with this system as well. && .LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 4 through 7 - Wednesday through Saturday)... An upper level area of low pressure occupies the western Bering Sea and extends into the North Pacific. A smaller scale ridge slides across the Aleutians and Gulf of Alaska ahead of the low through Thursday. Several shortwaves ride through the pattern through the week. A Western Bering surface low brings areas of mostly snow and gale force winds across the Central and Eastern Bering, diminishing Thursday. Rain continues to spread into the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island and across the Southcentral coasts through Friday. && .AVIATION... PANC...VFR conditions and light northerly winds will persist. A front and developing low will move into the eastern Gulf tonight. This will induce easterly winds over the mountains, which may cause some LLWS on Sunday; however, at this time the strong easterlies appear to be above the 3000 ft threshold. &&
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
The Mekoryuk ASOS (PAMY) reported heavy snowfall, winds gusting to over 40 mph, and visibility below one quarter of a mile from 8:55 PM AKST March 8th to 1:45 AM AKST March 9th. Webcams overlooking the village comfirmed this heavy snowfall and low visiblity.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, March 2025
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: 1249272.