Heavy Snow, Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands
- When
- February 11, 5:00 AM AST to February 12, 5:00 AM AST
- Where
- Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands forecast zone
- Reported by
- DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Heavy Snow in Alaska, February 11 to 12, 2003
A wave of low pressure formed along a stationary front near Livengood helping to produce locally heavy snowfall. Cold air wrapping around the surface low helped intensify snowfall amounts as it mixed with relatively warmer, moist air from the southwest.
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.
A wave of low pressure formed along a stationary front near Livengood helping to produce locally heavy snowfall. Cold air wrapping around the surface low helped intensify snowfall amounts as it mixed with relatively warmer, moist air from the southwest. The heavy snow was very localized around the Livengood area as the low along the front in that area dissipated fairly quickly over a 12-18 hour period.
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 Feb 11, 4:00 AM AST, 1 hour earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 4:00 AM AST, 1 hour before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION 400 AM AST TUE FEB 11 2003 THE WEATHER OVER NORTHERN ALASKA CONTINUES TO BE IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING A VERY SLOW RETURN TO A MORE NORMAL REGIME. THE VERY STRONG UPPER-LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING THAT HAS BROUGHT US SEVERAL DAYS OF VERY WARM TEMPS IS MAKING A SLOW RETREAT TO TO SOUTHEAST AS COLDER AIR PRESSES SLOWLY SE-WARD ACROSS THE STATE. A SERIES OF WEAK LOW PRESSURE CENTERS MOVING NE-WARD ACROSS THE STATE CONTINUES TO HOLD BACK THE PROGRESS OF THE ARCTIC FRONT SE-WARD. THESE LOW CENTERS ALSO ARE BRINGING PERIODS OF LIGHT RAIN, FREEZING RAIN, AND SNOW ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR. STRONG HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE OVER THE HIGH ARCTIC IS THE SOURCE OF THE COLDER AIR. THIS HIGH CENTER IS ALSO PRODUCING MODERATE E-LY WINDS OVER THE ARCTIC ZONES. MOST OF THE WEST COAST ZONES ARE NOW IN THE COLDER AIR WITH TEMPS IN THE TEENS OR LOWER BEING REPORTED UNDER MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH A FEW FLURRIES. UPPER-LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING IS EXPECTED TO BUILD N-WARD FROM THE CENTRAL BERING SEA OVER FAR EAST RUSSIA OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THIS WILL RESULT IN THE 500 MB STEERING FLOW BECOMING MUCH MORE N-LY OVER THE CHUKCHI SEA AND HIGH ARCTIC REGIONS THEN IT IS NOW. THIS N-LY FLOW WILL HELP PUSH THE SURFACE HIGH THAT IS NOW OVER THE HIGH ARCTIC SOUTHWARD CLOSER TO OUR ARCTIC COAST. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN A CONTINUED SLOW MOVEMENT SOUTHEAST OF THE COLDER AIR OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR. HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT TEMPS WILL BECOME COLD ENOUGH TO END THE RAIN/FREEZING RAIN THREAT UNTIL AT LEAST TONIGHT OR EVEN WED MORNING. THE SOUTHWARD MOVEMENT OF THE ARCTIC HIGH WILL ALSO PUSH THE E-LY WINDS THAT ARE NOW AFFECTING THE ARCTIC COAST SOUTHWARD OVER THE BROOKS RANGE. THE STRONGEST E-LY WINDS ARE LIKELY TO SET UP OVER THE NOATAK VALLEY TUE NIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH THU. A VERY SLOW CLEARING TREND IS EXPECTED TO WORK ITS WAY SE-WARD ACROSS THE STATE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, ALTHOUGH IT WILL LIKELY BE AT LEAST FRI BEFORE THERE IS ANY CHANCE AT ALL OF SEEING MUCH BLUE SKY ACROSS THE FAIRBANKS AREA. IT STILL LOOKS LIKE THE THE TRANSITION TO A MORE NORMAL WEATHER REGION WILL BE COMPLETE BY THIS WEEKEND AS THE MAIN PACIFIC JET IS PUSHED WELL TO OUR SOUTH AND AIMS ITSELF TOWARD CALIFORNIA INSTEAD OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD BECOME THE DOMINATE SURFACE FEATURE OVER ALASKA AND NORTHWEST CANADA WITH NEAR OR EVEN BELOW NORMAL TEMPS FINALLY IN PLACE. .AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY .PUBLIC...NONE .MARINE...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY 14 TODAY/TONIGHT. BWA/SCA 14, 9B, AND 10B TODAY/TONIGHT. MP FEB 03
Event by event
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flooding in California, February 11 to 14, 2003
- High Wind in Iowa, February 11, 2003
- Flood and Heavy Rain in California, February 11 to 12, 2003
- Flood in California, February 11, 2003
- Blizzard in Minnesota, February 11, 2003
- Blizzard in North Dakota, February 11, 2003
- Blizzard in Minnesota, February 11, 2003
- High Wind in Minnesota, February 11, 2003
- High Wind in Iowa, February 11, 2003
- High Wind in Iowa, February 11, 2003
- Winter Storm in Michigan, February 11 to 12, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, February 11 to 12, 2003
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 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: 5340693.