Name: Avalanche in Alaska, February 9, 2003
Start: 2003-02-09T13:00
End: 2003-02-09T13:00
Location: Alaska

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 1
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 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 9, 10:45 AM AST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 10:45 AM AST, 2 hours 15 minutes before

SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
1045 AM AST SUN FEB 9 2003

WKNG UPR RIDGE ALG 140W ALLWG SRLY FLOW ACRS ERN KODIAK AND B BAY
TO TURN WRLY ACRS SRN AK. AS RDG CONTS TO WKN MSTR LAIDEN SRLY
FLOW DVLPS AGN OVR THE GLF TNGT AND MON. THIS WILL HOLD THE
ARCTIC FNT OUT TO THE W AND N FOR ANTR CPL OF DAYS WITH PABE ON
THE FRINGES WHILE B BAY AND THE KUSKOKWIM VLY STAY IN THE WRM
AIR.

AVN/UKMET/ETA IN GOOD AGRMNT THRU 60 HRS. 1002 MB LOW CNTR S OF
THE PRIBS WITH TROF ASSCD WITH ARCTIC FNT NE TO THE KUSKO DELTA
AND LWR YUKON VLY RMNS STNRY INTO ONTHEN DSPTS LATE MON AS 1000
MB LOW MOVS TO PASD BY 06Z TUE. LOW CNTR MOVS NE ACRS ERN B BAY
TO NR OR JUST E OF PAKN BY 00Z WED HOLDING ARCTIC FNT BACK FM
ROUGHLY PABE TO PAMC. KODIAK KENAI PEN AND N GLF CST IN FOR ANTHR
ROUND OF RAIN STARTING ANY TIME PADQ AND THE RMNDR OF THE AREA
THIS EVE. MODEST QPF AND FAIRLY LOW SNW FALL LVLS WILL HLD DWN
FLOOD PTNTL BUT HVY RN A GD PSBLTY ERN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND
PACV ON TUE. LNGR RNG TAKES ARCTIC FNT TO THE WRN AK RNG TO THE
AK PEN WHILE KODIAK AND N GLF CST STAY WET UNDR WK SRLY FLOW THRU
THE UP COMING WEEK.

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...ZR ADVSRY KUSKO DELTA TDY.
MARINE...GALE AREA 13.

PERCY FEB 03

Event by event

1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.

Avalanche, Matanuska Valley

When: February 9, 1:00 PM AST
Where: Matanuska Valley forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Two snow-boarders were caught in an avalanche off Hatch Peak (in Hatcher Pass). One dug out, the other was buried for 2 hours then finally dug out by rescuers who attempted, unsuccessfully, CPR.Heavy wet snow fell in the Pass during the prior week, with more than a foot since Thursday. High winds over the weekend shifted snow loads to lee slopes, including the northeast-facing run near the Pass. Both snow-boarders were at the base of the mountain when the avalanche let go.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Avalanche, Matanuska Valley	2003-02-09	24	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct

What these are

Avalanche: A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

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: 5339379.