Blizzard in Western Arctic Coast, Alaska

Blizzard May 1, 2026 · Western Arctic Coast, Alaska

What the National Weather Service wrote

The Point Lay AWOS (PPIZ) reported just shy of 12 hours of blizzard conditions with wind gusts as high as 39 mph and visibility levels dropping to or just below 1/4 mile in blowing snow.

The wider storm

A strong low pressure system entered the Bering Sea to start the month of May. With a cold Arctic high pressure system over the Beaufort Sea, strong south and southwesterly winds developed from Alaska's West Coast eastwards toward the Alaska Range. Along the West Coast, the winds combined with light to moderate snow to create blizzard conditions, while the Alaska Range passes saw damaging wind gusts to start the month.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1340714. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

Tornadoes near your address

See every tornado that passed near a place you know, measured to its path.