Ice Storm in Alaska, January 17, 2003

Name: Ice Storm in Alaska, January 17, 2003
Start: 2003-01-17T21:30
End: 2003-01-17T22:16
Location: Alaska

January 17, 2003 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 ice storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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 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 Jan 17, 9:00 PM AST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 17, 9:00 PM AST, 30 minutes before

SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
900 PM AST FRI JAN 17 2003

ANALYSIS...THE AVIATION SEEMS TO BE DOING A BETTER JOB THAN THE
ETA MODEL OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS, SO IT IS THE PREFERRED MODEL
TONIGHT.

FORECASTS...A 989 MB LOW SOUTH OF NUNIVAK ISLAND WILL DISSIPATE
NEAR ST MATTHEW ISLAND TONIGHT. THE FRONT OVER THE YUKON DELTA,
KUSKOKWIM VALLEY, KENAI PENINSULA AND PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND WILL
DISSIPATED OVER OVER THE UPPER YUKON VALLEY AND THE TANANA VALLEY
TONIGHT.  RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN OVER THE KENAI PENINSULA AND
SOUTHERN SUSITNA VALLEY WILL END LATER TONIGHT.

ANOTHER LOW OVER THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC WILL MOVE TO 100 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF KODIAK ISLAND AND DEEPEN TO 992 MB SATURDAY NIGHT
AND WILL MOVE INTO BRISTOL BAY SUNDAY. THE FRONT WILL MOVE INTO
KODIAK ISLAND AND THE NORTHERN GULF OF ALASKA SUNDAY.

A 970 MB LOW 300 MILES SOUTH OF ADAK WILL REMAIN NEARLY
STATIONARY THROUGH SUNDAY. THE FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE EASTERN
ALEUTIANS SATURDAY. GALE FORCE WINDS WILL MOVE INTO THE ALEUTIANS
EAST OF ADAK SATURDAY.

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...ICE STORM WARNING FOR ANCHORAGE.
MARINE...GALE 5A..12B.

NM JAN 03

Event by event

1 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: January 17, 9:30 PM AST to 10:16 PM AST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Warm, moist air associated with an occluded front moving north across the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound, produced widespread rains. As the front moved across the arctic airmass, cold air eroded from higher levels downward, leaving pools of below freezing air at the surface...and rain fell as freezing rain.Police reported 34 "fender benders", 2 major accidents and 39 cars in the ditch due to slick roads.

What these are

Ice Storm: Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

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, January 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: 5339018.