1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 23, 9:00 AM AST, 0 minutes earlier.
SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION 10 AM ADT WED APR 23 2003 ANALYSIS...THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 7-LONG WAVES THIS MORNING FOR LOWER LATITUDES WHICH IS TYPICAL FOR SPRING. AT HIGHER LATITUDES THE NUMBER IS 4-WAVES BUT IS DOMINATED BY THE ANCHOR OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL RUSSIAN ARCTIC. THIS LOW IS CONNECTED TO A SECOND MAJOR CENTERED OVER SHEMYA SUPPORTING A 970 MB STORM NEAR 55/175E. AT 17Z THE OCCLUDED FRONT IS APPROACHING THE PRIBILOFS AND UNALASKA AS PER SATELLITE IMAGERY. A MODERATE UPPER RIDGE IS EXTENDING FROM THE SOUTH INTO BRISTOL BAY WITH A SECOND UPPER RIDGE OVER CENTRAL CANADA EXTENDING INTO THE CENTRAL INTERIOR. A MAJOR UPPER LOW IS CENTERED NEAR 53/140W OVER A 989 MB LOW. ARCTIC AIR REMAINS NORTH OF THE BROOKS RANGE. THE JET IS SOUTHWESTERLY WITH A 150KT CORE NEAR 48/180 INTO THE UPPER RIDGE WITH A NORTHWESTERLY BRANCH AROUND 130KT ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE MAJOR TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE GULF. GOES VISIBLE IMAGERY SHOWS SIGNIFICANT CLEARING OVER THE INTERIOR THIS MORNING BUT FOG AND FREEZING DRIZZLE IS A PROBLEM FOR THE K-DELTA IN THE RIDGE. FORECASTS...THE FORECAST PROBLEM OF THE DAY IS HOW MUCH PROGRESSION BY THE MAJOR SYSTEM IN THE BERING SEA. THE MODELS YESTERDAY FORECASTED A BLOCKING HIGH TO BUILD OVER THE YUKON BY 12Z FRIDAY AND THE 00Z GFS (MRF FOR YOU OLDIES) WAS CONSISTENT WITH THAT IDEA. THE 12Z GFS (AVN FOR YOU OLDIES) ALSO AGREES. THIS PATTERN CHANGE SETS UP A SOUTH JET OF AROUND 100 KT ALONG 163W AS EARLY AS 18Z THURSDAY WITH THE CLOUDS AND RAIN COMING TO A SCREECHING HALT WEST OF COOK INLET...ALTHOUGH KODIAK ISLAND GETS SOME RAIN LATER ON THURSDAY INTO SATURDAY ALONG THE OLD WEAKENING FRONT. IT IS HARD TO CONCENTRATE ON ALL THE WIND AND PRECIPITATION IN THE WEST WHEN ITS SUNNY AND WARMING NEAR 60F TODAY IN ANCHORAGE. SO FOCUS...LOOK FOR WARM SEASON LOCAL EFFECTS FOR THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN SECTIONS TODAY LIKE AFTERNOON AND EVENING SEA BREEZES MAINLY FOR HOMER AND AROUND PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND. IT MAKES ALL THE NECESSARY AND VERIFYING ADVISORIES OUT WEST SEEM LIKE A BAD DREAM. WE BELIEVE THE MODELS IN WEAKENING THE STORM CENTER UP TO THE ANADYR NEIGHBORHOOD BY 12Z SATURDAY FOLLOWED BY A SERIES OF WEAKER LOWS IN THE CENTRAL BERING SEA. .AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY PUBLIC...FRZ DRIZZLE ADVSRY 155. WIND ADVSRY 155 181 185 191 195. MARINE...STORM 13. GALES 8 12B 15. FIRE WEATHER...NONE. JC APR 03
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Intense low in the Bering Sea just northwest of Saint Paul Island moved across the Aleutian Chain early Wednesday. Strong winds westerly winds were observed on the back side of the low. Highest wind gusts reported reached 80 mph at a ship near one of the islands. Winds at Adak reached 69 mph and near 60 mph at Shemya.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2003
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: 5346549.