Alaska, 2003

High Wind in Alaska, May 9 to 10, 2003

May 9 to 10, 2003 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong occlusion moved north over the Alaska Range the night of the 9th creating strong south winds through Isabel Pass of zone 226 and in the Delta Junction area (Zone 223). The Delta Junction ASOS recorded a peak gust to 66 mph.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

A strong occlusion moved north over the Alaska Range the night of the 9th creating strong south winds through Isabel Pass of zone 226 and in the Delta Junction area (Zone 223). The Delta Junction ASOS recorded a peak gust to 66 mph. Based on this measurement and the observed pressure gradient, winds in zone 226 are estimated gusting to 70 mph.

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 May 9, 5:00 AM AST, 7 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 9, 5:00 AM AST, 7 hours before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
600 AM ADT FRI MAY 9 2003

MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT ON POSITION OF MAIN SYSTEMS ALOFT AND
DIFFER SOME AT THE SUFACE AS TO DEPTHA ND EXACT LOCATION OF SURFACE
LOWS.  NONETHELESS...THE RESULTANT WEATHER WILL BE SIMILAR.  AVN TOO
WET OVER ERN INTERIOR WHILE CHINNOK FLOW IN PROGRESS THROUGH SATURDAY.

STRONG RIDGE ALOFT OVER ERN AK WILL DRIFT E THROUGH SATURDAY AS A STRONG
SHORT WAVE...AND ACCOMPANYING SURFACE LOW...MOVE NORTH OVER WESTERN
ALASKA THEN NORTHEAST WITH SURFACE LOW REACHING BARTER ISLAND ABOUT
MIDNIGHT SATURDAY. MOIST WEST FLOW AHEAD OF FEATURE OVER WESTERN AK AND
THIS WILL MAKE SOME INROAD INTO ERN INTERIOR BUT EXPECT IT TO BE
SHORT-LIVED WITH INITIAL UPPER TROF THAT MOVES THROUGH...FOLLOWED BY
MORE SHOWERY PRECIP AS FLOW TURNS LIGHT SWLYY.

WESTERN AK...RAIN TAPERING OFF FROM SOUTHWEST THROUGH SAT. PRECIP
ALREADY MINIMAL FOR 213 AND 214. SHOWERS THEREAFTER BUT VERY SPOTTY.
SOUTHWEST WINDS BEHIND FRONTAL SYSTEM SETTING IN EARLY SAT AND WILL
MAINTAIN CLOUDINESS AT LOWER LEVELS THROUGH SUN.

NORTH SLOPE...EAST WINDS THROUGH SATURDAY AS FRONTAL SYSTEM AND NEW LOW
APPROACH FROM S. SNOW MOVING IN TODAY IN WEST AND ON SUNDAY IN THE EAST
AS FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES OVER AREA. HAVE KEPT CHANCE FOR FREEZING RAIN
FOR 201 AND 202 BECAUSE IT SEEMS THERE COULD BE ENOUGH WARM AIR ALOFT
WITH FRONTAL SYSTEM...BUT THIS IS SOMETHING TO WATCH CLOSELY. AMOUNT
OF FREEAING PRECIP SHOULD BE VERY LITTLE NONETHELESS.

ERN/CENTRAL INTERIOR...RAIN TODAY WRN 218 AND ALSO 219 AND 221 AS FIRST
WEAK IMPULSE MOVES NORTH AHEAD OF FRONTAL SYSTEM. THEN MORE PRECIP
SAT WITH UPPER TROF MOVING THROUGH...AND A CHANCE FOR ZONE 222 AS WELL
SAT PM...FIRST AS A DOSE OF RAIN WITH UPPER TROF...THEN SOME SHOWERS IN
COOLER AIR ALOFT DURING THE EVENING.  ALL IN ALL FAIRLY EXPECT MINOR
AMOUNTS FOR 222 AND 220. MODELS HAVE MUCH LESS PRECIP...IF ANY...FOR
SUNDAY AND THIS LOOKS FAIRLY REASONABLE.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING 223..225...226.
MARINE...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING 11A.
FIRE WEATHER...RED FLAG WARNING 223...226.

JL MAY 03

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When
May 9, 12:00 PM AST to May 10, 4:00 AM AST
Where
Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
UNKNOWN

High Wind, Deltana and Tanana

When
May 9, 2:24 PM AST to May 10, 7:19 AM AST
Where
Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Measured
57 kt (66 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, 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: 5353977, 5353976.