Winter Storm in Northern Arctic Coast, Alaska

A record-breaking winter storm impacted the Northern Arctic Coast, where a Winter Storm Warning was in effect from 1145AKST February 20 through 2101AKST February 22, 2026. The ASOS located at Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport (PABR) in Utqiagvik measured daily record precipitation on February 21 and February 22. Total liquid equivalent precipitation for the event exceeded three tenths of an inch, surpassing the entire monthly average for February of twenty-one hundredths of an inch. The storm produced hazardous conditions including periods of visibility reduced to one-half mile in snow and significant durations with visibility below one mile. The first verifying observation for the warning occurred at 1029AKST on February 21, when visibility at Utqiagvik dropped to one-half mile. 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.