Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 13 to 15, 2003

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 13 to 15, 2003
Start: 2003-12-13T18:30
End: 2003-12-15T06:00
Location: Alaska

December 13 to 15, 2003 · NWS AFC · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A rapidly intensifying storm moved through the western Aleutians the evening of December 13th. Strong wind occurred in advance of the associated front.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 AFC wrote it up.

A rapidly intensifying storm moved through the western Aleutians the evening of December 13th. Strong wind occurred in advance of the associated front. Even stronger winds occurred in the wake of the frontal passage as high pressure rapidly built in behind this front. The gusty northwest wind across the eastern Aleutians resulted in blizzard conditions overnight for the night of the 14th into the morning of the 15th. Warming temperatures in advance of this front as it approached the Alaska Peninsula inhibited the development of blizzard conditions across that region.

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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 13, 11:40 AM AST, 6 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 13, 11:40 AM AST, 6 hours 50 minutes before

SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
1140 AM AST SAT DEC 13 2003

.DISCUSSION...LONG WAVE PATTERN SITUATED IN A 3 WAVE SOLUTION RIGHT
NOW WITH A COLD CORE LOW DEVELOPING OVER THE WESTERN BERING BY
SUNDAY. THIS LOW TO MODERATE SOME AND RETREAT NORTH. THE TROUGH WILL
REPOSITION ITSELF OVER NORTHERN ALASKA BY NEXT WEEKEND.

TWO LOWS AFFECTING THE WEATHER ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TODAY. ONE IS
A WEAKENING SYSTEM OVER THE NORTHERN GULF WHILE THE OTHER IS
STRENGTHENING ALONG THE ALEUTIANS.

THE STRONG LOW IN THE ALEUTIANS TO DEEPEN TO NEAR 945MB JUST
SOUTHWEST OF DUTCH HARBOR THIS EVENING. STRONG OCCLUSION WRAPPING
AROUND THE SYSTEM WITH STORM TO HURRICANE FORCE WINDS. STRONGEST
WINDS ANTICIPATED BEHIND THE SYSTEM IN THE BENT BACK OCCLUSION.
MIXTURE OF PRECIP ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW AS THEIR IS STRONG WARMING
AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM. THE LOW WILL TRACK EAST JUST SOUTH OF THE
ALEUTIAN CHAIN SUNDAY. HOWEVER...THE SYSTEM WILL LOSE JET SUPPORT AS
THE JET CORE PUNCHES INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST SUNDAY NIGHT. THE LOW
WILL BEGIN TO CURVE NORTH AND FILL SLOWLY AT THIS TIME. ENOUGH COLD
AIR WRAPPED IN THE SYSTEM TO KEEP ITS STRENGTH FOR AWHILE. WILL
LIKELY SEE SOME STRONG WINDS AROUND KODIAK AND ADJACENT WATERS. IN
ADDITION...STRONG SOUTHEAST WINDS ALOFT WILL PROVIDE A CHINOOK EFFECT
OVER THE ANCHORAGE BOWL AND MATANUSKA VALLEY SUNDAY AND MONDAY. WINDS
WILL DECREASE BEGINNING TUESDAY AS THE LOW FILLS FURTHER. THE LOW
WILL SLOWLY MOVE NORTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY BUT REMAIN IN THE GULF.
500MB TROUGH DEVELOPS NEAR 150W OVER THIS TIME FRAME AS WELL WITH A
RIDGE MOVING THROUGH THE ALEUTIANS. THE LOW MOVES INLAND WEDNESDAY
INTO THURSDAY AS THE NEXT. THE EXACT POSITIONING IS UP FOR DEBATE AS
THE MODEL UNCERTAINTY INCREASES SIGNIFICANTLY BEYOND 144 HRS. THIS IS
MAINLY DUE TO THE HANDLING OF THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE WESTERN
PACIFIC. THE 00Z RUN OF THE GFS CONSISTENT WITH YESTERDAYS RUN
DEVELOPING A LOW ALONG THE JET NEAR 45N TUESDAY ALONG NR 175E AND
THEN PUSHING IT EAST AND A BIT SOUTH INTO THE SOUTHERN GULF WITH
LITTLE REFLECTION ON THE MAINLAND THROUGH THURSDAY. THE ONLY
REFLECTION WOULD BE TO MOVE THE LOW OVER THE GULF INLAND AS AN
INVERTED TROUGH. THE SOUTHERN GULF LOW IS THEN ANTICIPATED TO MOVE
NORTH INTO THE SOUTH CENTRAL COAST NEAR CORDOVA BY SUNDAY AM.

THE LOW CURRENTLY IN THE NORTHERN GULF TO SLOWLY MOVE INLAND WITH
SCATTERED SHOWERS. A COUPLE ORGANIZED WAVES HAVE MOVED THROUGH WITH
ONE BRINGING AROUND AN INCH TO THE ANCHORAGE BOWL THIS MORNING.
ANOTHER IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. THE LOW
WILL PUSH NORTH TONIGHT WITH THE 500MB TROUGH AXIS BRINGING ANOTHER
SHOT OF PRECIP. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN THE ANCHORAGE BOWL AND VICINITY
WILL BE LIGHT. HOWEVER...GREATER SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE PRESENT IN
THE SUSITNA VALLEY IN THE SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT. THE LOW WILL
EVENTUALLY BECOME PART OF THE LARGER LOW MOVING THROUGH THE ALASKA
PENINSULA SUNDAY.

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING TONIGHT 181
         HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH SUNDAY 185 191
         WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT 195
MARINE...HURRICANE FORCE 12B
         STORM 5AB 6AB 12A 12A1
         GALE 3BC 8 15
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

JN DEC 03

Event by event

1 high wind, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Aleutians

When: December 13, 6:30 PM AST to 7:30 PM AST
Where: Eastern Aleutians forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Eastern Aleutians

When: December 14, 11:00 PM AST to December 15, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Eastern Aleutians forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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

Every storm in Alaska in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, December 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: 5336615, 5336616.