Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, February 23 to 24, 2003

Name: Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, February 23 to 24, 2003
Start: 2003-02-23T00:00
End: 2003-02-24T23:59
Location: Alaska

February 23 to 24, 2003 · NWS AFC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The front produced areas of heavy snow in the Susitna Valley, mostly in northern sections. 5 on the Petersville Road, a spotter report indicated 2 feet of snow fell in less than a 24 hour period, ending mid afternoon Monday.

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.

An occluded front, associated with a strong low near the Aleutians, moved up into South-central Alaska early Monday, continuing north into the Susitna Valley thereafter.The front produced areas of heavy snow in the Susitna Valley, mostly in northern sections. At the Kenny Creek Lodge, at Mile 17.5 on the Petersville Road, a spotter report indicated 2 feet of snow fell in less than a 24 hour period, ending mid afternoon Monday. Heavy snow was also reported at Chulitna, Hayes River, Big River Lakes and near Skwentna.The same front also produced locally strong southeast winds through western Turnagain Arm and along the upper Anchorage Hillside. Peak winds reached 78 mph from the southeast at McHugh Creek at 5:05 pm AST Sunday. Winds at Glen Alps were clocked at up to 66 mph at 8 pm and again at midnight.

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 Feb 22, 9:00 PM AST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 22, 9:00 PM AST, 3 hours before

SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
900 PM AST SAT FEB 22 2003

ANALYSIS...MODELS SIMILAR AND CONSISTENT. NOT MUCH CHANGE FROM
PAST EXPECTATIONS. WAVE MOVING FROM KODIAK OVER COOK INLET
TONIGHT. RAIN DROPS OFF SOME OVER KODIAK AFTER 12Z. LIGHT RAIN
AND SNOW KENAI PEN. SNOW LATER TONIGHT SUSITNA VALLEY. FLURRIES
IN PANC AREA. RAIN NORTH GULF COAST. OVER RUNNING PRODUCING LIGHT
SNOW KUSKOKWIM VALLEY DROPING OFF BY MORNING.

ALEUTIAN LOW INIT NEAR 960 MB MOVING TOWARD PRIBS WEAKENING.
FRONT SOUTH OF ST GEORGE TO NEAR PADU  SOUTHEASTWARD 12Z..NEAR
PASN TO SOUTHERN KODIAK ISLAND SOUTHWARD 00Z MON..KUSKOKWIM
VALLEY SUSITNA VALLEY PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND 12Z MON..AND INTO
EASTERN GULF 00Z TUE. SECONDARY WAVE DEVELOPING AND MOVING TO
NEAR KODIAK 00Z TUE.

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE.
MARINE...GALE 2BC,3AC,4,5B,6B,12,13.

Event by event

1 heavy snow, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Susitna Valley

When: February 23, 12:00 AM AST to February 24, 11:59 PM AST
Where: Susitna Valley forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: February 23, 4:00 PM AST to February 24, 5:00 AM AST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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, 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: 5339852, 5339853.