Blizzard — St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait, Alaska

2023-03-04 to 2023-03-05 · St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait, Alaska

Event narrative

Blizzard conditions developed in the early morning hours of the 4th on both St. Lawrence Island and the coast of the Bering Strait and continued through midday on the 5th. Winds at Savoonga gusted as high as 71 mph. Other peak wind gusts include: 69 mph at Tin City, 67 mph at Teller, 54 mph at Gambell and 41 mph at Brevig Mission.

Wider weather episode

A weather systems brought strong winds with periods of blizzard conditions as well as snow and freezing rain March 4th-8th 2023. An area of low pressure moving north through the Bering Sea along with an associated warm front, combined with strong high pressure over Interior Alaska initially brought blizzard conditions to the west coast. As temperatures warmed, snow eventually transitioned over to freezing rain in some locations, with strong winds persisting.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1090803. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.