Blizzard — Chukchi Sea Coast, Alaska

2023-03-04 to 2023-03-06 · Chukchi Sea Coast, Alaska

Event narrative

Blizzard conditions developed along the Chukchi Sea coast the morning of the 4th. Blizzard conditions continued to be reported by the Point Hope AWOS through the afternoon of the 5th. The Point Hope AWOS stopped reporting the visibility during the afternoon of the 5th; however, webcam continued to show areas of blizzard conditions persisting through the evening of the 6th. Winds gusted as high as 75 mph at Red Dog Dock and 61 mph at Point Hope during the event.

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 1090813. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.