Ice Storm in Alaska, November 21, 2003

Name: Ice Storm in Alaska, November 21, 2003
Start: 2003-11-21T08:10
End: 2003-11-21T09:30
Location: Alaska

November 21, 2003 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Freezing rain occurred locally along Turnagain Arm as wamer marine air advected through turnagain arm into a shallow cold layer of air.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $5,000
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.

Freezing rain occurred locally along Turnagain Arm as wamer marine air advected through turnagain arm into a shallow cold layer of air.

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 Nov 20, 9:00 PM AST, 11 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 20, 9:00 PM AST, 11 hours 10 minutes before

SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
900 PM AST THU NOV 20 2003

.DISCUSSION...BUSY TONIGHT. FREEZING RAIN PAMC PAHO PAWD. SNOW PATK
PANC PAEN PATO. RAIN SNOW PRETTY MUCH ALL OVER THE MAINLAND. WINDY
OVER THE WESTERN BERING AND WEST COAST. WINDY ALONG TURNAGAIN ARM AND
GLPA2. GLPA2 TEMP FALLING JUST A LITTLE WHICH WILL HELP KEEP FREEZING
RAIN OUT OF ANCHORAGE AREA AT LEAST FOR NOW. RADARS REALLY A BIG HELP
TONIGHT WITH TIMING OF PRECIPITATION.

MODELS. WELL LET ME STICK WITH THE ETA DUE TO LACK OF TIME. 00Z RUN
STARTS TO WEAKEN RIDGE ALONG NORTH GULF COAST AROUND 18Z.  WINDS
SHOULD KEEP UP THROUGH THE NIGHT. 850 TEMPS STAY AROUND -6 TO -4 FOR
PANC THROUGH THE NIGHT SO DON/T REALLY EXPECT TO SEE MUCH RAIN DOWN
HERE. EXPECT MORE SNOW FRIDAY EVENING AS SURFACE LOW SETS UP OVER
PANC WITH WHOPPING UPPER SUPPORT. ENOUGH ABOUT US. WARM AIR ALONG
WEST COAST QUICKLY REPLACED BY COLD AIRMASS OVER BERING SEA. PADL 850
TEMP GOES FROM PLUS 2.5 AT 00Z FRI TO -8.5 AT 00Z ON SAT.

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...ICE JAM FLOOD WARNING ZONE 161.
MARINE...GALES 3A/B/C 5B 6B 8.
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

KAC NOV 03

Event by event

1 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: November 21, 8:10 AM AST to 9:30 AM AST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

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, November 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: 5372196.