A low pressure storm system deepened rapidly during this time in the northern Gulf of Alaska. The low dropped 22mb in 48 hours time, bottoming out at 978mb over Icy Bay.
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 episode as NWS AJK wrote it up.
A low pressure storm system deepened rapidly during this time in the northern Gulf of Alaska. The low dropped 22mb in 48 hours time, bottoming out at 978mb over Icy Bay. The main surface front associated with this low, swept through the Panhandle from the southwest on the night of December 1st-2nd. Though widespread high winds occurred, the damage that was reported from this wind event was minor.
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 Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 1, 10:45 AM AST, 9 hours 35 minutes earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION 1045 AM AST MON DEC 1 2003 .SYNOPSIS... .SHORT RANGE...GOES IR LOOP IS CONSISTENT WITH POLAR FRONT ZONE SECTION HAS NMRS OPEN WAVES FROM 40/150 TO MIDDLETON ISLAND. THE PRESSURE IS FALLING RAPIDLY AT 46083, AND THE MSAS PRESSURE FIELD ANALYSIS ACCEPTED WITH A 991 MB LOW AT 57/141 AT 18Z. THE ETA MODEL IS EASIEST TO RECONCILE WITH THE WAVES, ESPECIALLY THE SURFACE PRESSURES IN THE GULF AND THE PRESSURE TRENDS. .LONG RANGE...TUE NIGHT THROUGH MON. LONGER RANGE MODELS ALL HAVE SAME GENERAL IDEA FOR DEEP LOW MOVING INTO THE GLFAK WED/THU WITH SMALL DIFFERENCES IN CENTRAL PRESSURE. STRONG BAROCLINICITY BETWEEN COLD AIR POURING INTO BACKSIDE AND WARM ADVECTION INTO THE GULF AHEAD OF FRONT. SO THERE WILL BE LOTS OF DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATED WITH LOW SYSTEM. SEVERAL FRONTAL LOWS ROTATING AROUND MAIN UPPER CENTER WILL BE MOVING AROUND THE SOUTHEAST GULF THROUGH FRI WITH WHOLE SYSTEM GRADUALLY DRIFTING E-SE. STRONG WINDS EXPECTED OVER THE AREA WED/THU AS SYSTEM ROTATE THROUGH SOUTHEAST GULF. POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WIND WARNINGS OVER SOUTHERN ZONES THU. PRECIP TYPE AGAIN A MESS WITH WARM ADVECTION FIGHTING COLD NORTHERLY OFFSHORE FLOW OVER NORTHERN ZONES. THINGS BEGIN TO SETTLE DOWN FOR THE WEEKEND AS SYSTEM HEADS FOR SOUTHERN B.C. AND UNDERCUTS THE PANHANDLE. WEAK FLAT RIDGING MOVES INTO THE GULF WITH RETURN TO SHOWERY WEATHER AND MUCH LESS WIND. SHOWERS MAINLY RAIN BUT WITH SOME SNOW MIXED IN AT TIMES. .AJK...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES PUBLIC...HEAVY SNOW WATCH HIGH WIND WATCH FOR WIND FOR TONIGHT AND TUESDAY FOR ZONES 22...23...AND 27 WITH ADDITION OF ZONE 28 TO BE MADE BY NOON. WINTER STORM WATCH FOR HEAVY SNOW FOR TONIGHT AND TUESDAY FOR ZONES 18 AND 19. MARINE...STORM WARNING OUTSIDE WATERS FROM DIXON ENTRANCE TO CAPE EDGECUMBE. GALE OUTSIDE CAPE EDGECUMBE TO CAPE FAIRWEATHER AND INSIDE WATERS SUMNER STRAIT AND CLARENCE STRAIT AS WELL AS CROSS SOUND. SCA OUTSIDE WATERS CAPE FAIRWEATHER TO CAPE SUCKLILNG AND ALL INSIDE WATERS EXCEPT SUMNER...CLARENCE AND ICY STRAIT.
9 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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, December 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: 5327667, 5327668, 5327671, 5327666, 5327672, 5327669, 5327673, 5327674, 5327670.