Blizzard in Alaska, December 3, 2003

Name: Blizzard in Alaska, December 3, 2003
Start: 2003-12-03T19:55
End: 2003-12-03T22:55
Location: Alaska

December 3, 2003 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

With complex low pressure systems in the North Pacifc combined with high pressure over interior Alaska, a trough of low pressure formed over Bristol Bay north to Bethel, creating a tight pressure gradient which produced blizzard conditions at Cape Romanzof along with north winds gusting to near 60 mph.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

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 Dec 3, 2:30 PM AST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 3, 2:30 PM AST, 5 hours 25 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM AST WED DEC 3 2003

.DISCUSSION...
SURFACE...A 976 MB LOW IS 150 NM SOUTH OF PADQ AND WILL WOBBLE
OVER THE GULF THROUGH FRIDAY. A 1027 MB HIGH IS OVER THE BROOKS
RANGE RIDGED SE INTO THE YUKON. A SECOND 1027 MB HIGH IS NEAR
ANADYR WITH A RIDGE INTO SIBERIA. THESE FEATURES WILL MOVE LITTLE
THROUGH FRIDAY. WEAK TROUGH IS OVER THE CENT ARCTIC OCEAN
EXTENDING TO JUST NORTH OF PASC.

ALOFT...A 504 DAM UPR LVL LOW IS NEAR COLD BAY AND WILL MOVE INTO
THE CENTRAL GULF. UPR LVL RIDGE IS ALONG THE ALASKA RANGE
EXTENDING WEST TO NORTON BAY AND WILL BUILD NORTH OVER THE
INTERIOR THROUGH FRIDAY. DIFFUSE UPR LVL WINDS NEAR RIDGE WITH
STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS JUST NORTH OF RIDGE OVER NRN
INTERIOR.

MODELS...ETA AND AVN IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH 60 HRS OVER ALASKA.
WE WILL USE ETA FOR DETAILS GIVEN ITS BETTER HANDLING OF TERRAIN
FEATURES. CONFIDENCE OF MODEL SOLUTIONS FOR LOW SOUTH OF KAMCHATKA
IS LOW GIVEN EXTRA TROPICAL ORIGIN OF STORM. REGARDLESS, STRONG
RIDGE FROM INTERIOR ALASKA TO SIBERIA WILL KEEP THE STORM WELL
AWAY FROM OF THE FORECAST AREA. IN THE EXTENDED ALL MODELS KEEP
THE STORM TRACK WELL TO THE SOUTH OVER THE WEEKEND WITH A SYSTEM
POSSIBLY BRUSHING THE EXTREME SW ZONES BEGINNING MONDAY. TEMPS
WILL BE SEASONAL.

NORTH SLOPE...WINDS UP A BIT CENTRAL AND ERN ZONES WITH PRESSURE
GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH OVER BROOKS RANGE AND SURFACE TROUGH NORTH
OF PASC. WIND CHILL ADVISORIES ARE UP FOR ZONES 203...204...206
THROUGH THIS EVENING.

INTERIOR...HIGH CLOUDS SPILLING OVER RANGE, BUT ENOUGH OF A
CHINOOK FLOW TO KEEP AREA PRECIP FREE. CLOUDS AND WARMING TEMPS
ALOFT WILL KEEP TEMPS MUCH WARMER OVERNIGHT. WINDS UP TO ADVISORY
LEVELS FOR ZONE 223 WITH GAP FLOW. TEMPS WILL BE SEASONAL FOR THE
REST OF THE WEEK.

WEST COAST...UPR LOW HAS FINALLY PUSHED SOUTH OVER THE NRN GULF
ALLOWING RIDGE TO BUILD OVER WEST COAST. WEAK OVER RUNNING SNOW
OVER SRN AREAS OF ZONE 215 AND 216 WILL DIMINISH OVERNIGHT. TEMPS
WILL MODERATE TO SEASONABLE LEVELS DURING THE WEEK. WIND CHILL
ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUE FOR ZONE 214 AS WINDS HAVE PICKED UP BEHIND
SURFACE LOW NEAR PADQ.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WIND CHILL ADVISORY...203..204..206..214
         WIND ADVISORY...223
MARINE...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING...14...9B
         SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...14...9B

CS DEC 03

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Yukon Delta

When: December 3, 7:55 PM AST to 10:55 PM AST
Where: Yukon Delta 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.

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: 5336638.