Heavy Snow in Northern Denali Borough, Alaska

A trained spotter located in Healy, Alaska reported a storm total snow amount of 11 inches between the hours of 5:00L on 2/18 through 17:51L on 2/18. Additionally, a social media comment on a Facebook post reported an estimated storm total snow amount of 16.5 inches in Anderson at 19:47L on 2/18. Frequent snow squalls were observed on radar between 14:00L and 17:00L on 2/19 throughout the Middle Tanana Valley, further supporting heavy snowfall amounts across the Northern Denali Borough.

A strong Bering Sea low moves into the Gulf of Anadyr, allowing for a strong front to move into Western Alaska. As the front approached the West Coast, strong east/southeast winds brought blizzard and whiteout conditions to much of the Seward Peninsula south. A secondary push of moisture brought by a shortwave system pushed off the Bering Sea low allowed for widespread heavy snow across St. Lawrence Island, the southern Seward Peninsula, and parts of the Western Interior. As the front pushed eastward across the state, snow squalls developed over portions of the Central Interior, leading to periods of heavy snowfall and gusty winds.