Blizzard in Alaska, March 10, 2026

Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
157 AM AKDT Tue Mar 10 2026

.SYNOPSIS...
Generally cold and benign weather continues across most of
Northern Alaska. On the eastern Arctic Coast, westerly windy
conditions persist, bringing blowing snow and blizzard conditions.
On the northern side of the Seward Peninsula, northwesterly winds
are likewise producing blowing snow reducing visibilities. In the
Interior, temperatures remain below normal, with lows in the −20s
or colder possible through at least Friday morning. Somewhat
warmer conditions on the West Coast will characterize the mid-to-
late week period from Wednesday through Friday as light snow moves
across the area. Most coastal areas have the potential to receive
up to a few inches of snow, with the highest totals possible
across parts of the western Seward Peninsula and the YK Delta
region.

&&

.KEY WEATHER MESSAGES...
Central and Eastern Interior...

- Well below normal temperatures this week with daily morning
  lows reaching the −20s to −40s...coldest spots being Interior
  valleys.

- Expect large diurnal temperature fluctuations due to the strong
  March sun with afternoon highs reaching the single digits above
  and below zero.

West Coast and Western Interior...

- Gusty northwest winds resulting in blowing snow and reduced
  visibility continue for portions of the northern Seward
  Peninsula and Kotzebue sound through this afternoon.

- Below normal temperatures the next few days with double digit
  subzero lows, followed by a warm up to the teens above the
  latter half of the week into the weekend.

- Light snow accumulations possible Wednesday and Thursday for
  all of the West Coast and far western Interior.

North Slope and Brooks Range...

- Blizzard to near blizzard conditions at times due to blowing
  snow and low visibility for the northeast Arctic Coast through
  Wednesday.

- At or below normal temperatures persist through the period with
  double digit subzero lows each day.

&&

.FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION...
Vertically-stacked ridging/high pressure persists across the
Central Aleutians, with northerly flow along the West Coast
helping to produce blowing snow over parts of the northern Seward
Peninsula. Two lows are in place across the northeastern Gulf of
Alaska and the Arctic northeast of Alaska; the latter low is
helping to generate west winds which are yielding blowing snow
and blizzard conditions along the eastern Arctic coast. In
contrast to the cloudier North Slope and West Coast, most of the
Interior is under clear skies, with temperatures in the negative
teens to negative thirties. Parts of the Interior are under cloud
cover which has yielded light snow at times, but otherwise,
generally benign conditions are in place. Late Tuesday morning
into Wednesday morning, as the Arctic low shifts closer to the
eastern Arctic coast, wind gusts will increase to upwards of 50
mph near Kaktovik, which is when the lowest visibility blizzard
conditions are likely. Farther west toward Deadhorse, the
magnitude of wind will be lower, but gusts could still exceed 30
mph at times.

Wednesday morning, cloud cover will decrease over much of the
Western and Central Interior with very cold air aloft (around −25
to −30C temperatures at the 850 mb level). This will permit
surface temperatures broadly dropping into the −30s to near −40F
in low-lying/valley locations. Around this same time frame, the
low over the Arctic will shift southeast into Canada and the
pressure gradient over the eastern Arctic coast will weaken,
allowing for blowing snow/blizzard conditions to end. A series of
shortwaves riding along the top side of the Bering Sea ridge will
shift into the eastern Bering around the same time, with snow
overspreading much/most of the West Coast by Wednesday evening and
lasting into Friday morning before diminishing. Up to a few
inches of total accumulation will be possible through then, with
higher totals in the elevated terrain of the western Seward
Peninsula. The Interior will gradually warm into late week as the
cold air aloft gets pushed back into Canada and more cloud cover
moves in, with highs rising into the single digits and lows into
the −20s and −10s F.

&&

.EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7...
Additional, transient snow showers will be possible in parts of
Northern Alaska moving in from the northwest by Friday afternoon
and lasting into the weekend, although accumulations will be
limited. Cold air aloft is likely to shift back into the area by
Sunday into Monday, which could allow for surface temperatures to
fall back into the −20s or −30s if not colder when clear skies
are present. Spotty light snow showers and areas of cloud cover
will also be possible, especially farther east in the Interior,
which could limit the extent of this cooling. West-to-northwest
winds will remain possible on the eastern Arctic Coast and in the
Kotzebue Sound areas with general low pressure over the Arctic
and high pressure over Siberia, which could present additional
blowing snow concerns. Late in the extended time frame, a low in
the Gulf of Alaska will bring a chance for more substantive
snowfall in the Eastern Interior, although the details are
uncertain and most of the event would be from Day 8 onward.

Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ818.
     Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ804-808.
     Blizzard Warning for AKZ805.
PK...Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ801.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ802-805-852-853.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ806-807.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ808-809-855.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ810-854-856.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ814.
     Gale Warning for PKZ815-861.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ850.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ860.
&&

DS