Heavy Snow, Bristol Bay
- When
- May 13, 5:30 AM AST to 8:00 AM AST
- Where
- Bristol Bay forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Heavy Snow in Alaska, May 13, 2003
A persistent upper level low and cold advection across southwest Alaska resulted in some intense snow showers over the Bristol Bay region Tuesday May 13th. Although this does not meet warning or advisory criteria, the amount of snowfall established a new record for the most snowfall for the month of May for King Salmon.
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 AFC wrote it up.
A persistent upper level low and cold advection across southwest Alaska resulted in some intense snow showers over the Bristol Bay region Tuesday May 13th. Although this does not meet warning or advisory criteria, the amount of snowfall established a new record for the most snowfall for the month of May for King Salmon. A total of 4.7 inches fell the morning of the 13th.
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 May 12, 8:00 PM AST, 9 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 12, 8:00 PM AST, 9 hours 30 minutes before
SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION 900 PM ADT MON MAY 12 2003 ANALYSIS...NO REAL CHANGE IN THE SYNOPTIC SITUATION OVER THE NEXT TWO DAYS. FORECASTS...A 991 MB LOW OVER THE EASTERN INTERIOR WILL DRIFT INTO THE YUKON TERRITORY TUESDAY NIGHT THEN WEAKEN TO 995 MB WEDNESDAY. A THERMAL TROUGH ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST INTERIOR PERSIST THROUGH WEDNESDAY. RAIN SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE COPPER RIVER BASIN, SUSITNA VALLEY KUSKOKWIM VALLEY AND INLAND PORTION OF THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. A MODERATELY STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL PERSIST OVER THE ALEUTIANS AND THE ALASKA PENINSULA TUESDAY NIGHT THEN DIMINISH A BIT WEDNESDAY. GALE FORCE WINDS WILL SLOWLY DIMINISH TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. .AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY PUBLIC...NONE. MARINE...GALE 5AB..6AB..12AB..13..15. FIRE WEATHER...NONE. NM MAY 03
Event by event
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, May 13, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 13 to 14, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, May 13, 2003
- Flash Flood and Hail in Oklahoma, May 13, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Kansas, May 13, 2003
- Hail in Texas, May 13, 2003
- Tornado in Arkansas, May 13, 2003
- Tornado in Louisiana, May 13, 2003
- Hail in Kansas, May 13, 2003
- Dust Devil in Texas, May 13, 2003
- High Wind in Missouri, May 13, 2003
- Flash Flood and Hail in Arkansas, May 13, 2003
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, May 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: 5351189.