Alaska, 2002

Ice Storm and High Wind in Alaska, November 26 to 27, 2002

November 26 to 27, 2002 · NWS AFG · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

An approaching occlusion moving north from the Gulf of Alaska brought high winds briefly to areas near the Alaska Range, and provided brief freezing rain and then rain to the Middle Tanana Valley and Yukon Flats. High Winds were reported in zone 223 by the Delta Junction ASOS, with peak gusts to 50 mph, while winds of 52 mph were estimated from the pressure gradient over zones 225 and 226.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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.

An approaching occlusion moving north from the Gulf of Alaska brought high winds briefly to areas near the Alaska Range, and provided brief freezing rain and then rain to the Middle Tanana Valley and Yukon Flats. As the system moved north over the middle interior, it then began a slow movement to the east toward the Canada Border later on the 26th and into the morning of the 27th.High Winds were reported in zone 223 by the Delta Junction ASOS, with peak gusts to 50 mph, while winds of 52 mph were estimated from the pressure gradient over zones 225 and 226. High winds briefly occurred again at Delta Junction in the evening of the 26th, with peak gusts at the ASOS of 59 mph.Although the Freezing Rain and then Rain amounted to only 0.03 of an inch in the Middle Tanana Valley, it occurred at a time in the morning across Fairbanks North Star Borough such that school buses had extreme problems completing their routes. All public schools were closed that day across the Fairbanks North Star Borough. In zone 224 at Northway, 0.11 of an inch of Freezing Rain occurred the evening of the 26th. Eagle received 0.62 inches of rain, as temperatures remained above freezing during the evening of the 26th through the morning of the 27th.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 26, 4:00 AM AST, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 26, 4:00 AM AST, 1 hour 42 minutes before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
400 AM AST TUE NOV 26 2002

UPPER LEVEL RIDGE EXTENDING NORTH OVER WESTERN CANADA TO THE YUKON
TERRITORY WILL STEER SHORT WAVES NORTH OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA AND INTO
NORTHWESTERN CANADA. LOW PRESSURE NEAR KODIAK THIS MORNING WILL MOVE
NORTH OVER THE INTERIOR TO SOUTH OF GALENA THIS AFTERNOON. AT 300AM WED
THE LOW WILL BE NORTHEAST OF KOTZEBUE SOUND. THE LOW WILL REMAIN
STATIONARY AND WEAKEN THROUGH WED NIGHT. THE AVN GIVES THE LOW A
LOWER CENTRAL PRESSURE THAN THE ECMF. A COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE TWO
MODELS HAS BEEN INCORPORTED INTO THE ALASKA REGIONAL COORDINATION MAP.

AN OCCLUSION ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW PRESSURE NEAR ANCHORAGE THIS
MORNING WILL, THIS AFTERNOON, EXTEND FROM THE LOW NEAR GALENA TO NORTH
OF EAGLE. AT 3AM WED THE OCCLUSION WILL EXTEND FROM THE LOW NORTHEAST
OF KOTZEBUE SOUND TO JUST NORTH OF THE BROOKS RANGE AND EAST INTO
CANADA.

SNOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW PRESSURE AND OCCLUSION MOVING NORTH OVER
THE STATE WILL AMOUNT TO UP TO 5 INCHES OVER PARTS OF THE WESTERN
SOUTH SLOPES OF THE BROOKS RANGE AND OVER THE BETTLES AREA. DURING THE
24 HOUR PERIOD FROM TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT, IT LOOKS
ADVISORY LEVELS OF 4 TO 5 INCHES IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD WILL NOT OCCUR.

THE HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES 223, 225, AND 226 WILL BE CONTINUED
TODAY. MODELS HAVE THE WINDS GOING BELOW WARNING CRITERIA TONIGHT.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY

.PUBLIC...
HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
    ZONE 223, DELTANA - TANANA FLATS.
    ZONE 225, DENALI.
    ZONE 226, NORTHERN SLOPES OF THE EASTERN ALASKA RANGE.

.MARINE...
GALE WARNING AREA 10B, WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE.

HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 9B, DALL POINT TO WALES INCLUDING THE SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND
        WATERS.
    AREA 10B, WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 14, SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND WATERS.
    AREA 9B, SLEDGE ISLAND TO WALES AND THE SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND
        WATERS.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 11A, CAPE LISBURNE TO CAPE HALKETT.
    AREA 11B, CAPE HALKETT TO DEMARCATION POINT.

DA NOV 02

Event by event

3 high wind, 2 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Middle Tanana Valley

When
November 26, 5:42 AM AST to 6:20 AM AST
Where
Middle Tanana Valley forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Denali

When
November 26, 6:00 AM AST to 7:00 AM AST
Where
Denali forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When
November 26, 6:00 AM AST to 7:00 AM AST
Where
Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Deltana and Tanana

When
November 26, 7:53 AM AST to 7:53 PM AST
Where
Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Ice Storm, Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile

When
November 26, 6:53 PM AST to November 27, 6:53 PM AST
Where
Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Ice Storm
Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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, November 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: 5322443, 5322440, 5322442, 5322441, 5322444.