Alaska, 2003

Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, April 12 to 13, 2003

April 12 to 13, 2003 · NWS AFG · 6 events in 5 counties and zones

A series of Low pressure centers moved north over western Alaska beginning the night of the 11th through the morning of the 13th, While strong High pressure over the Arctic Ocean moved eastward slowly. This brought blizzard conditions to the Arctic Coast, and high winds at certain exposed locations over the West coast.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

A series of Low pressure centers moved north over western Alaska beginning the night of the 11th through the morning of the 13th, While strong High pressure over the Arctic Ocean moved eastward slowly. This brought blizzard conditions to the Arctic Coast, and high winds at certain exposed locations over the West coast. Additionally, as the frontal system moved across the Alaska Range, it brought strong winds through Windy Pass in the Denali region. Blizzard conditions were reported at:Zone 201 - Wainwright.Zone 202 - Barrow.Zone 203 - Nuiqsut, Deadhorse.High Winds were reported at:Zone 201 - Cape Lisburne AWOS, gust 67 mph.Zone 214 - Cape Romanzof AWOS, gust 63 mph. Zone 225 - Healy Weather Observer, gust to 69 mph.

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 Apr 12, 5:00 AM AST, 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 12, 5:00 AM AST, 53 minutes before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
600 AM ADT SAT APR 12 2003

NO CHANGE IN OUR AWIPS SITUATION. WERE RUNNING PROGS ON 1.1 ARONET
TERMINALS...AND USING AWIPS JUST FOR SATELLITE PICS AND RADAR.

U.S. PROGS ARE IN REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE SHORT TERM. THAT
DOESNT MEAN THAT WE SUPPOSE THAT THEY WILL VERIFY IN DETAIL ANY
BETTER THAN YESTERDAYS DID. THEIR SCENARIO AT LEAST IS SIMILAR TO
THAT INDICATED BY THE SEF AND ECMF THOUGH.

THE THREE-POINT LOW (OR FIRST FRONTAL WAVE) THAT WAS JUST SOUTHWEST
OF SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND AT 00Z IS MINORING OUT OVER WESTERN NORTON
SOUND. THE MODELS DONT TRACK IT AS A SURFACE FEATURE...BUT ITS
LIKELY HEADED NORTH OVER THE CHUKCHI SEA. THE NEXT ONE IS ABOUT 90
MILES NORTH OF PADU AT THIS TIME. THE U.S. MODELS ALL MOVE IT RAPIDLY
NORTH TO BE NEAR SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND AT 4PM TODAY...AND NEAR
WRANGEL ISLAND AT 4PM SUN. THE WARM FRONTS ASSOCIATED WITH BOTH
THESE WAVES ARE POORLY DEFINED EVEN ON OUR SURFACE MAPS MUCH LESS
ON THE MODELS...SO WE WONT WASTE TIME TALKING ABOUT THEM. ASSUME
THAT THE AIRMASS OVER ANY GIVEN LOCATION IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE TO
WARM PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF THE COLD FRONT. THE COLD FRONT IS PRETTY
WELL DEFINED. EXPECT IT TO BE FROM ABOUT PASA-PACZ-PAEM AT 4PM
TODAY...FROM PALU-PAGA-PANC AT 4AM SUN...AND BECOMING DIFFUSE FROM
PABR-PABT-PATA AT 4PM SUN. IT WILL BE BUCKING THE RIDGE ALOFT ON
SUN.

THE PARENT LOW WILL WEAKEN AS IT MOVES EAST THEN NORTH OVER THE
BERING SEA...PASSING WEST OF SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND TONIGHT TO BE 989
MB OVER THE GULF OF ANADYR AT 4PM SUN.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE.
MARINE...GALE WRN AREA 9B.
         BRISK WIND ADVISORY ERN AREA 9B AND AREAS 9A...10A/B...11A/B.
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

DJH APR 03

Event by event

3 blizzard, 3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Western Arctic Coast

When
April 12, 5:53 AM AST to 8:53 PM AST
Where
Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Yukon Delta

When
April 12, 8:55 AM AST to 10:55 AM AST
Where
Yukon Delta forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When
April 12, 9:13 AM AST to 9:53 PM AST
Where
Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Denali

When
April 12, 5:51 PM AST to 8:29 PM AST
Where
Denali forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Western Arctic Coast

When
April 12, 7:55 PM AST to April 13, 6:55 AM AST
Where
Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Measured
58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Northern Arctic Coast

When
April 12, 8:53 PM AST to 10:33 PM AST
Where
Northern Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

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.
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 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2003

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: 5350454, 5350455, 5350456, 5350459, 5350457, 5350458.