Alaska, 2026Extreme Cold in Alaska, February 8 to 10, 2026
February 8 to 10, 2026 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones
The first week of February 2026 saw an extensive cold trough aloft situated over the northern half of Alaska. Underneath this trough ambient temperatures hovered around -40 F for several days.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 first week of February 2026 saw an extensive cold trough aloft situated over the northern half of Alaska. Underneath this trough ambient temperatures hovered around -40 F for several days. Meanwhile across the North Slope and throughout the Brooks Range winds occasionally picked up, resulting in dangerous wind chill readings.
What forecasters said that day
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 Feb 8, 3:45 PM AKST, 6 hours 38 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 8, 3:45 PM AKST, 6 hours 38 minutes before
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</html>Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Western Arctic Plains
- When
- February 8, 10:23 PM AKST to February 9, 10:23 PM AKST
- Where
- Western Arctic Plains forecast zone
- Reported by
- RAWS
- Coordinates
- 69.251, -152.001 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Just prior to midnight on the 8th, the Umiat Airfield RAWS (UMTA2) reported a wind chill value of -70 F as the air temperature dropped to -49 F and a west wind of 7 to 10 mph developed. These conditions persisted for close to 24 hours with the wind chill dropping to -70 F on several occasions.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, South Slopes of the Eastern Brooks Range
- When
- February 10, 5:25 AM AKST to 9:10 AM AKST
- Where
- South Slopes of the Eastern Brooks Range forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 65.700, -152.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
During the morning hours of February 10th the air temperature dropped to around -50 F for several hours at Arctic Village. The Arctic Village AWOS (PARC) reported wind speeds from the North at around 5 mph which resulted in wind chill values dropping to -70 F for several hours.
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
- Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- High Wind in Nevada, February 8 to 11, 202661 kt wind · 7 events
- Winter Storm in Montana, February 8 to 9, 20265 events
- Extreme Cold in New York, February 8, 20264 events
- Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 8 to 12, 202667 kt wind · 4 events
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, February 8, 20261 event
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, February 8 to 9, 20261 event
- Winter Weather in Montana, February 8 to 9, 20261 event
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1319910, 1319911.