Alaska, 2002

Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, April 21, 2002

April 21, 2002 · NWS AFG · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

As a cold front moved in from the west, heavy snow developed over the Deltana and Tanana Flats and along the northeast slopes of the eastern Alaska Range. Strong southwesterly flow behind the cold front brought in abundant moisture from the Bering Sea.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.

As a cold front moved in from the west, heavy snow developed over the Deltana and Tanana Flats and along the northeast slopes of the eastern Alaska Range. Strong southwesterly flow behind the cold front brought in abundant moisture from the Bering Sea. This, coupled with the effects of the front and upslope conditions caused by local terrain were enough to produce reports of 6 inches of new snow at Whitestone Farms near Delta Junction, and 12 inches at the Black Rapids Military training Center. Blizzard conditions occurred briefly at Northway at the time of the Cold Front passage.

Event by event

2 heavy snow, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Deltana and Tanana

When
April 21, 7:50 AM AST to 3:00 PM AST
Where
Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Blizzard, Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile

When
April 21, 10:53 AM AST to 11:53 AM AST
Where
Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When
April 21, 12:30 PM AST to 7:00 PM AST
Where
Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Blizzard
Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5288654, 5288656, 5288655.