Blizzard in Alaska, December 31, 2003

Name: Blizzard in Alaska, December 31, 2003
Start: 2003-12-31T08:00
End: 2003-12-31T16:00
Location: Alaska

December 31, 2003 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A cold front moved south into the Gulf of Alaska early Wednesday morning resulting in gusty north offshore winds along Northern Prince William Sound. North winds gusted around 55 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 AFC wrote it up.

A cold front moved south into the Gulf of Alaska early Wednesday morning resulting in gusty north offshore winds along Northern Prince William Sound. North winds gusted around 55 mph. The strong wind combined with recent heavy snow fall across the region resulted in blizzard conditions in blowing snow in Thompson Pass.

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 30, 9:00 PM AST, 11 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 30, 9:00 PM AST, 11 hours before

SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
900 PM AST TUE DEC 30 2003

.DISCUSSION...LONG WAVE PATTERN TO GO THROUGH A SHIFT WITH A BLOCK
DEVELOPING OVER THE BERING SEA/WESTERN ALASKA BY THE WEEKEND. THE
CURRENT PATTERN HAS AN ANCHOR LOW NEAR KAMCHATKA WITH A WEAK LOW OVER
THE NORTHERN GULF. A WEAK RIDGE IN THE BERING SEA WILL BUILD AND
TRANSITION INTO WESTERN ALASKA OVER THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS PUSHING
THE WEAK UPPER LOW OVER THE NORTHERN GULF TO THE BC COAST. MEANWHILE
THE ANCHOR LOW STARTS TO RETROGRADE WITH RIDGE BECOMING STRONGER OVER
WESTERN ALASKA. A SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE DOWN FROM THE ARCTIC
THROUGH EASTERN ALASKA/YUKON AND DIG OUT A TROUGH OVER THE GULF OF
ALASKA SUBSEQUENTLY SETTING UP THE BLOCK OVER THE BERING SEA.

THIS WILL MEAN A COLDER AND DRIER SOLUTION FOR EASTERN ALASKA WHILE
WESTERN ALASKA SHOULD BE IN A WARMER AND DRIER PATTERN. THE ALEUTIANS
WILL BE WINDY ESPECIALLY WESTERN AREAS.

IN THE SHORT TERM...LOW IN THE GULF WITH A WAVE MOVING AROUND
PRODUCING LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW SHOWERS FROM PALMER TO HOMER WEST OF
THE KENAI AND CHUGACH MOUNTAINS. SURFACE HIGH BUILDING OVER THE
MAINLAND TIGHTENING GRADIENT OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL COAST AREA.
THEREFORE...WILL EXPECT WINDS TO PICK UP TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW IN THE
USUAL AREAS FROM THE NORTH AND WEST. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE THROUGH
GAPS IN TERRAIN.

A WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WREAKING A BIT OF HAVOC OVER THE
BRISTOL BAY AND KUSKOKWIM DELTA THIS EVENING. FEEL THIS SYSTEM TO
SHRED WHEN IT HITS THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN. STILL THINK A FEW CLOUDS TO
PUSH OVER THE TOP INTO THE WESTERN GULF.

A STRONG FRONT TO CONTINUE MOVING THROUGH THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL
ALEUTIANS THROUGH TOMORROW. STRONG SURFACE WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS
FEATURE FOR STORM AND GALE FORCE WINDS FROM DUTCH HARBOR WEST. THE
FRONT WILL SHEAR APART WHEN IT HITS THE RIDGE THURSDAY. ENOUGH ENERGY
TO PUSH A SHORT WAVE TROUGH THROUGH THE SOUTHERN INTERIOR THURSDAY
NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY FOR A FEW SNOW SHOWERS.

AFTER THIS...HIGH PRESSURE TO DOMINATE MOST OF THE STORY EXCEPT A
WEAK TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS.

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE
MARINE...STORM 12B 13
         GALE 3ABC 5A 12AB 15
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

JN DEC 03

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Nern P.W. Snd

When: December 31, 8:00 AM AST to 4:00 PM AST
Where: Nern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

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: 5336624.