Alaska, 2003

High Wind in Alaska, February 4 to 5, 2003

February 4 to 5, 2003 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

High winds blew across the Deltana and Tanana Flats region as a warm front pushed through from the south. Strong pressure differences between this frontal boundary and high pressure to the south of the Alaska Range created wind gusts measured up to 73 mph at the Delta Junction ASOS site.

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.

High winds blew across the Deltana and Tanana Flats region as a warm front pushed through from the south. Strong pressure differences between this frontal boundary and high pressure to the south of the Alaska Range created wind gusts measured up to 73 mph at the Delta Junction ASOS site.

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 4, 4:20 AM AST, 7 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 4, 4:20 AM AST, 7 hours 33 minutes before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
420 AM AST TUE FEB 4 2003

...UPDATE...WE JUST DECIDED TO HAVE THE FREEZING RAIN START IN ZONES
212...210 E PABL...AND 217 THIS AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE NO CHANGE.

THE OCCLUDED FRONT THAT WAS MOVING NORTH OVER BRISTOL BAY AT THIS
TIME MON IS NOW DIFFUSE NORTHWARD FROM A LITTLE REMNANT LOW NEAR
PAUN TO PASK THEN NORTHEAST AND EAST OVER ZONE 218. IT IS STILL
MAKING SOME SNOW OVER NORTHWEST ALASKA BUT WILL DISSIPATE BY NOON...
ONLY BECAUSE WE HAVE ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM INCOMING. THE TRIPLE
POINT ASSOCIATED WITH THE ORIGINAL SYSTEM IS SOUTHEAST OF CYEV...WITH
THE WARM FRONT SOUTHEASTWARD FROM THERE. THE COLD FRONT BECAME A
TRAILING FRONT FROM ABOUT CYEV TO PAMD AND SOUTHWEST MON EVENING. IT
HAS NOW BEEN REACTIVATED...COMING BACK NORTHWEST AS A WARM FRONT
ASSOCIATED WITH THE 974 MB LOW 350 MILES SOUTH OF PASD. THIS WARM
FRONT IS MOVING RAPIDLY...AND WILL REACH A PAEH-PAGA-PABT BY 3PM TODAY.
(IT WILL BE DIFFUSE EAST OF PABT). IT WILL SLOW THEREAFTER IN THE
LIGHTER FLOW ALOFT BUT WILL REACH A PASM-PAKK-PAKP LINE BY 3AM WED.

THIS NEXT ONE WILL BE A BIGGER DEAL OVER OUR WEST COAST ZONES THAN
THE CURRENT REMNANT EVER WAS. WE REFERRED ABOVE TO THE LIGHTER FLOW
ALOFT OVER THE WEST COAST. THIS IS OF COURSE TRUE...AND WILL REMAIN
MUCH LIGHTER THAN THE HOWLING WINDS ALOFT OVER THE INTERIOR. HOWEVER...
WINDS ALOFT OVER THE WEST COAST WILL BE INCREASING TOO...ALLOWING THE
INCOMING FRONT TO HOLD TOGETHER BETTER...MAKING SOME SERIOUS SNOW
FARTHER WEST.

FREEZING RAIN IS LIKELY TO BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN ZONES 215 AND 216
TODAY...AND PROBABLY IN ZONES 212...210...AND 217 BEFORE EVENING AS
WELL.

BLIZZARD CONDITIONS MAY ABATE IN ZONES 207 AND 213 THIS MORNING...BUT
THINGS WILL DETERIORATE AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...WARNINGS
           HIGH WIND...ZONES 225 AND 226
           BLIZZARD...ZONES 207 AND 213.
           HEAVY SNOW...ZONE 217.
           FREEZING RAIN...ZONES 215 AND 216.
         WATCHES
           HEAVY SNOW TONIGHT/WED ZONE 219...ZONE 218 W PIPELINE
           FREEZING RAIN TONIGHT ZONES 212...210 E PABL...217
MARINE...GALE AREAS 14...10B...WESTERN 9B.
         BWA EASTERN 9B.

DJH FEB 03

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Deltana and Tanana

When
February 4, 11:53 AM AST to February 5, 1:53 AM AST
Where
Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Measured
63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

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: 5340685.