Alaska, 2003

Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, November 22 to 24, 2003

November 22 to 24, 2003 · NWS AFG · 10 events in 8 counties and zones

A 975 mb low pressure center moved northeast over the Bering sea from Kamchatka Peninsula to Saint Lawrence Island the evening of the 22nd and morning of the 23rd. The low then slowed and began weakening, moving east across the Seward Peninsula Sunday and across the western interior Monday; then reaching Fairbanks Monday night before dissipating.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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 975 mb low pressure center moved northeast over the Bering sea from Kamchatka Peninsula to Saint Lawrence Island the evening of the 22nd and morning of the 23rd. The low then slowed and began weakening, moving east across the Seward Peninsula Sunday and across the western interior Monday; then reaching Fairbanks Monday night before dissipating. The associated strong frontal system moved northeast across western Alaska Sunday and interior Alaska Sunday night, producing blizzard conditions over western Alaska and areas of heavy snow over the Seward peninsula and near Kotzebue. The snow diminished as the system weakened but local heavy snow was reported at several interior Alaska sites. Blizzard Conditions were reported atZone 207 - Kivalina; Point HopeZone 209 - Kotzebue, SelawikZone 210 - BucklandZone 211 - GolovinZone 213 - Gambell; SavoongaHeavy Snow was reported at:Zone 209: National Weather Service office at Kotzebue reported 11.3 inches; it is likely that 6 to 9 inches of snow fell at Selawik as the automated station reported very low visibility during the same time period as Kotzebue's snowfall. Snow began at 0700 AST and reached 6 inches at 1800 AST on the 23rd.Zone 210: Estimated that 6 to 10 inches of snow fell over the zone on the 23rd by averaging the amounts recorded by the National Weather Service at Nome (4.8 inches) and Kotzebue (11.3 inches). Snow estimated to begin at 0000 AST and reached 6 inches at 1300 AST on the 23rd.Zone 216 - Kaltag Co-operative Observer: 9 inches Snow began at 0300 AST and reached 6 inches at 1100 AST.Zone 221 - Nenana: State of Alaska Department of Transportation Camp: 6 to 8 inches. Estimated snow started at 1300 AST on the 23rd and reached 6 inches by 1100 AST on the 24th.Zone 222 - Cooperative observers at Keystone Ridge: 6.7 inches; Mile 42 Steese Highway: 9.1 inches (in less than 2 days). Estimated snow started at 2000 AST on the 23rd and reached 6 inches at 1100 AST on the 24th.

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 Nov 22, 2:30 PM AST, 8 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 22, 2:30 PM AST, 8 hours 5 minutes before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM AST SAT NOV 22 2003

.DISCUSSION...THE LATEST SPATE OF WINTER WEATHER IS WINDING DOWN
AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES EAST OVER THE EASTERN INTERIOR TONIGHT.
THERE MAY YET BE SOME SERIOUS SNOW OVER ZONES 223-26 TONIGHT.

THE NEXT STORM IS COMING IN RAPIDLY. WE HAVE A 972 MB CENTER
JUST EAST OF KAMCHATKA...AN OCCLUDED FRONT NORTH AND EAST TO
THE TRIPLE POINT NEAR 60N/175...WITH COLD FRONT SOUTHWARD...AND
WARMFRONT EAST AND SOUTHEAST OVER THE SAINT MATTHEW AND PRIBILOF
ISLAND WATERS.

WE EXPECT THE PARENT LOW TO FILL OVER THE NORTHWEST BERING SEA
AS A NEW LOW DEVELOPS ON THE TRIPLE POINT TO BE 972 MB ABOUT
150 MILES WEST OF PAGM AT 3AM SUN...WITH OCCLUDED FRONT EAST TO
PASA...COLD FRONT SOUTHWARD...AND WARMFRONT SOUTHEAST OVER THE
YUKON DELTA. THIS LOW WILL DECELERATE AND FILL A BIT TO BE 976 MB
ABOUT 60 MILES NW OF PASH AT 3PM SUN AND THE FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL
BE OCCLUDED OVER NORTHERN ALASKA WITH THE OCCLUDED FRONT FROM
ABOUT LOW-PAWN-PAFM-PAIM-PAMH. MEANWHILE...A POLAR LOW WILL FORM
IN THE COLD AIR OVER THE GULF OF ANADYR TO BE ABOUT 972 MB 120
MILES W OF PAGM AT 3PM SUN. THE POLAR LOW WILL FILL AS IT MOVES
EAST OF SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND BUT THE COLD (ARCTIC) FRONT ASSOCIATED
WITH IT WILL MOVE EAST OVER THE WEST COAST AND WESTERN INTERIOR
SUN NIGHT. EXPECT THE (PASH) LOW TO BE 988 MB NEAR PFYU AT 3PM
WITH COLD FRONT FROM PAFA-PAHV AND SOUTHWEST OVER THE ALASKA
RANGE.

IF YOU BELIEVE ALL THAT...ID LIKE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT INVESTING
IN FLORIDA REAL ESTATE.

AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION...WE THINK IT LIKELY THAT SNOWFALL
WILL BE DRY ENOUGH AND HEAVY ENOUGH...AND WINDS STRONG ENOUGH...TO
PRODUCE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OVER OUR COASTAL ZONES FROM ZONE 211
SOUTH EARLY SUN. RISING TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY MAKE THE SNOW
WET ENOUGH TO BRING VISIBILITY MOSTLY ABOVE 1/4 MILE LATER IN
THE MORNING. AS USUAL...THIS IS A TOUGH CALL...BUT WE WILL ISSUE
THE WARNING. THE BLIZZARD IS MORE OF A SURE THING FROM ZONE 210
NORTHWARD. PRECIPITATION MAY BE MIXED WITH RAIN FROM 211 SOUTH
LATER IN THE DAY...AND FREEZING RAIN REMAINS A POSSIBILITY.
MODELS SUGGEST HEAVY SNOW WILL BE FARTHER SOUTH THIS TIME...
OVER ZONES 215-16...BUT NOT 208 AND 217.

THE MID RANGE MODELS REMAIN HIGHLY DIVERGENT AS EARLY AS TUESDAY.
THE FASTEST OF THEM (AVN/MRF) BRINGS IN ANOTHER STORM EARLY WED.
NO SERIOUS WEATHER APPEARS LIKELY OVER NORTHERN ALASKA ON TUESDAY
THOUGH.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...BLIZZARD WARNING ZONES 207 THROUGH 214.
         HEAVY SNOW WARNING ZONES 215-16.
         HEAVY SNOW WATCH ZONES 219...221...222...225...
          220 W OF BEAVER...223 W OF SALCHA...226 W OF RICH HWY.
MARINE...GALE AREAS 14...9A/B...10A/B...11A.
         HEAVY ICING AREAS 14...9A/B...10A/B...11A (W ICY CAPE)
         SMCR...AREA 11A FROM ICY CAPE TO CAPE HALKETT.

DJH NOV 03

Event by event

5 blizzard, 5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When
November 22, 10:35 PM AST to November 23, 2:15 AM AST
Where
St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Srn Seward Peninsula Coast

When
November 23, 7:15 AM AST to 10:15 AM AST
Where
Srn Seward Peninsula Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Chukchi Sea Coast

When
November 23, 9:53 AM AST to 1:53 PM AST
Where
Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Lower Koyukuk Middle Ykn Vlys

When
November 23, 11:00 AM AST to 11:59 PM AST
Where
Lower Koyukuk Middle Ykn Vlys forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Blizzard, Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley

When
November 23, 12:09 PM AST to 4:55 PM AST
Where
Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula

When
November 23, 12:55 PM AST to 3:15 PM AST
Where
Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula

When
November 23, 1:00 PM AST to 11:00 PM AST
Where
Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by
UNKNOWN

Heavy Snow, Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley

When
November 23, 6:00 PM AST to 11:59 PM AST
Where
Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heavy Snow, Wrn Tanana Vly Wrn Yukon Vly

When
November 24, 11:00 AM AST to 1:00 PM AST
Where
Wrn Tanana Vly Wrn Yukon Vly forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Middle Tanana Valley

When
November 24, 11:00 AM AST to 5:00 PM AST
Where
Middle Tanana Valley forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

What these are

Blizzard
Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5335375, 5335373, 5335370, 5335374, 5335371, 5335372, 5335378, 5335379, 5335376, 5335377.