Heavy Snow in Alaska, March 1 to 3, 2003

Name: Heavy Snow in Alaska, March 1 to 3, 2003
Start: 2003-03-01T14:00
End: 2003-03-03T08:53
Location: Alaska

March 1 to 3, 2003 · NWS AFG · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

Heavy snow developed along a slow moving warm front as it moved across the Lower, Middle, and Upper Koyukuk Valleys to the Southern Slopes of the Eastern Brooks Range. The heaviest snow fell near Bettles (Zone 219) where 11 inches of new snow was measured by the ASOS Augmenting Observer. The CO-OP Observer at Galena (Zone 216) measured 8 inches and reported via phone that near white out conditions occurred for short periods as the heaviest snow fell. Farther north the Department of Transportation at Chandalar Lake (Zone 218) reported 6 inches had fallen over a 24 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 Mar 1, 4:00 AM AST, 10 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 1, 4:00 AM AST, 10 hours before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
400 AM AST SAT MAR 1 2003

HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA WITH A RIDGE EXTENDING NORTH OVER
THE INTERIOR WILL STEER LOW PRESSURE FROM THE BERING SEA SUNDAY MORNING
TO NORTHWEST ALASKA SUNDAY NIGHT.

A MAJOR WINTER WEATHER EVENT CONTINUES TO BE IN STORE FOR NORTHERN
ALASKA. THE SYNOPTIC PICTURE AND FORECAST ARE VERY SIMILIAR AMONG
COMPUTER MODELS. WARM AIR AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING LOW WILL LIKELY
PRODUCE A MIXTURE OF PRECIPITATION TYPES NORTH TO THE LOWER KOYUKUK
AND MIDDLE YUKON VALLEYS THEN EAST OVER THE TANANA VALLEY. NORTH OF
THIS AREA PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BE ALL SNOW.

THE PRIOR RUN OF THE AVN WAS BRINGING WARM AIR FURTHER NORTH THAN THE
ECMF. BOTH MODELS ARE NOW IN CLOSE AGREEMENT.

SOUTHERN SLOPES OF THE BROOKS RANGE WEST OF THE PIPELINE WILL BE
PARTICULARILY VUNERABLE FOR HEAVY SNOW SUN AND SUN NIGHT AS STRONG
UPSLOPING MOIST AIR MIXES WITH COLD AIR ADVECTION. THE STRONG SOUTHERLY
FLOW WILL LIKELY PRODUCE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OVER HIGHER TERRAIN.

COLD AIR ADVECTION OVER THE REST OF THE INTERIOR WILL CHANGE ANY MIXED
PRECIPITATION TO ALL SNOW SUN NIGHT AND MON.

ON THE ALASKA REGIONAL COORDINATION MAP STRONG LOW PRESSURE 150 MILES
NORTHEAST OF SHEMYA WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AND GRADUALLY WEAKEN THROUGH
THE FORECAST PERIOD. AT 3PM AST SAT THE LOW WILL BE 150 MILES EAST OF
SHEMYA AND AT 3AM AST SUN IT WILL BE 225 MILES NORTHEAST OF SHEMYA.
AT 3AM AST MON A LOW WILL BE 150 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GAMBELL AND ANOTHER
LOW WILL BE ALONG THE NORTHWEST COAST NEAR WAINWRIGHT.

THE WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY BELOW IS AS OF 400 AM THIS MORNING. IT IS
CONTINUALLY BEING UPDATED. PLEASE SEE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGES.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY

.PUBLIC...
BLIZZARD WATCH STARTING SUNDAY:
    ZONE 201, WESTERN ARCTIC COAST.
    ZONE 202, NORTHERN ARCTIC COAST.
    ZONE 203, CENTRAL BEAUFORT SEA COAST.
    ZONE 204, EASTERN BEAUFORT SEA COAST.

WINTER STORM WATCH FOR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS SUNDAY:
    ZONE 209, BALDWIN PENINSULA.
    ZONE 210, NORTHERN AND INTERIOR SEWARD PENINSULA.

WINTER STORM WATCH FOR HEAVY SNOW SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT:
    ZONE 208, LOWER KOBUK AND NOATAK VALLEYS.
    ZONE 217, UPPER KOBUK AND NOATAK VALLEYS.

WINTER STORM WATCH FOR FREEZING RAIN LATE TODAY AND SUNDAY:
    ZONE 212, EASTERN NORTON SOUND AND NULATO HILLS.
    ZONE 214, YUKON DELTA.
    ZONE 215, LOWER YUKON VALLEY.
    ZONE 216, LOWER KOYUKUK AND MIDDLE YUKON VALLEYS.

HEAVY SNOW WATCH STARTING TONIGHT:
    ZONE 218, SOUTHERN SLOPES OF THE EASTERN ALASKA RANGE, WEST OF
        ARCTIC VILLAGE.
    ZONE 219, UPPER KOYUKUK VALLEY.

HEAVY SNOW WATCH STARTING TONIGHT AND SUNDAY:
    ZONE 220, YUKON FLATS AND SURROUNDING UPLANDS, WEST OF BEAVER.

WINTER STORM WATCH FOR FREEZING RAIN SUNDAY AND SUNDAY EVENING:
    ZONE 221, WESTERN TANANA VALLEY AND YUKON VALLEY RAMPART TO LOWER
        NOWITNA RIVER.

WINTER STORM WATCH FOR FREEZING RAIN LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND
    SUNDAY NIGHT:
        ZONE 222, MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY.

.MARINE...
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY AREA 14, SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND WATERS.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 9B, DALL POINT TO WALES INCLUDING THE SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND
        WATERS.
    AREA 11A, ICY CAPE TO CAPE HALKETT.
    AREA 11B, CAPE HALKETT TO DEMARCATION POINT.

DA FEB 03

Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Lower Koyukuk Middle Ykn Vlys

When: March 1, 2:00 PM AST to March 2, 6:00 PM AST
Where: Lower Koyukuk Middle Ykn Vlys forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heavy Snow, Upper Koyukuk Valley

When: March 2, 2:53 AM AST to March 3, 8:53 AM AST
Where: Upper Koyukuk Valley forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, S. Slopes of Ern Brooks Range

When: March 2, 6:50 AM AST to March 3, 6:50 AM AST
Where: S. Slopes of Ern Brooks Range forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

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

Every storm in Alaska in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, March 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: 5347212, 5349006, 5347211.