Winter Storm in Northwest Arctic Coast, Alaska

A significant winter storm impacted the Northwest Arctic Coast, where a Winter Storm Warning was in effect from 1145AKST February 20 through 2101AKST February 22, 2026. While AWOS stations at Wainwright Airport (PAWI) and Atqasuk Edward Burnell Sr. Memorial Airport (PATQ) were offline during the storm, nearby reports from the Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport ASOS (PABR) in Utqiagvik indicated that the area likely received record or near-record precipitation. A remote observation station northeast of Wainwright (NDBCWRXA2) measured wind gusts between thirty and forty miles per hour during the period of heaviest precipitation. Based on these wind speeds and the high moisture content of the storm, it is highly probable that Wainwright and Atqasuk experienced significant blowing snow and reduced visibilities. The first verifying observation for the warning occurred at 1029AKST on February 21, when visibilities at Utqiagvik dropped to one-half mile in snow; the final verifying observation occurred at 1210AKST on February 22. No fatalities, injuries, or property damage were reported.

A winter storm system tracked across the West Coast, North Slope, and Interior Alaska from February 20 through February 25, 2026. The episode began with widespread blizzard conditions impacting the West Coast and North Slope regions, where powerful winds and significant blowing snow reduced visibilities to near zero. As the system pushed inland, it transitioned into a heavy snow event for the Central and Eastern Interior. Notable snowfall reports included thirteen and one-half inches measured northwest of Ester and nearly nine inches reported by storm spotters in the Tanana Valley. Additionally, measurements from the Nenana Snotel indicated a seven-inch snow depth increase over a twenty-four-hour period during the height of the storm. These conditions created hazardous travel and significant impacts to infrastructure across the state. No fatalities or injuries were reported during this episode.