Heavy Snow in Alaska, February 14, 2004

Name: Heavy Snow in Alaska, February 14, 2004
Start: 2004-02-14T20:14
End: 2004-02-14T22:00
Location: Alaska

February 14, 2004 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

9 inches. 0 inches.

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 low-level push of moist air over the Arctic Front which rested along the south slopes of the Alaska Range, produced heavy snowfall at locations on the north side of the Alaska Range, as reported at:Zone 225: Healy 7.0 inches, Kobe Hill cooperative observer 7.9 inches. Snow began 0949 AST on the 14th.Zone 226: State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Camp at Paxson reported 7.0 inches. Snow likely began around 1100 AST on the 14th.

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 Feb 14, 2:30 PM AST, 5 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 14, 2:30 PM AST, 5 hours 44 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM AST SAT FEB 14 2004

.DISCUSSION...UPPER RIDGES LIE OVER FAR NERN SIBERIA AND W COAST
UP TO SERN AK. UPPER LOWS LIE OVER W-CENTRAL BERING SEA JUST N
OF ALEUTIANS AND OVER NWRN CANADIAN ARCTIC. A WEAK DEFORMATION
AXIS HAS SET UP OVER CENTRAL AK BETWEEN THESE FEATURES FROM
ABOUT PAUN-PAGA-PAFA-CYDA. COLDER AIR DROPPING S ON BACKSIDE
OF CANADIAN LOW RE-INVIGORATING ARCTIC FRONT OVER CENTRAL AK.
REMNANTS OF DISSIPATING OCCLUSION FROM BERING LOW OVER-RUNNING
THIS. ALL THESE FEATURES COMBINING TO PRODUCE NARROW BELT OF SNOW
RUNNING ACROSS STATE, WITH HEAVIEST AMOUNTS N SLOPES AK RANGE
SO FAR. MODELS SHOW THE DEFORMATION AXIS/ARCTIC FRONT REMAINING
NEARLY STATIONARY AND WEAKENING OVERNIGHT/SUN. SHORT-WAVES
DROPPING S AROUND CANADIAN LOW WILL MOVE OVER N SLOPE FROM
PABR E TONIGHT AND NEXT FEW DAYS. INTENSE NE-E SURFACE PRESSURE
GRADIENTS CENTERED AROUND CHUKCHI SEA COAST PRODUCING HIGH WINDS
VICINITY PAPO FORECAST TO GRADUALLY WEAKEN TONIGHT/SUN AS BERING
LOW FILLS. COLDER NRLY FLOW AROUND CANADIAN LOW FORECAST TO
DOMINATE MON/TUE/WED AND CARVE OUT UPPER TROUGH OVER INTERIOR.

N SLOPE: PARTLY CLOUDY AND COLDER TONIGHT THROUGH MON/TUE. GUSTY
NE-E WINDS ZONE 201 SLOWLY DIMINISHING TONIGHT/SUN. FLURRIES AT
TIMES FROM THE WEAK SHORT-WAVES MOVING S.

W COAST: HIGH WIND WARNING N OF CAPE THOMPSON (207) CONTINUING
TONIGHT WITH VERY STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT. SHOULD SEE LITTLE
LIGHTER WINDS THERE BY MORNING AND SUN. CLOUDY WITH CHANCE OF
-SN NORTON SOUND S TONIGHT THROUGH SUN AND INTO MON FROM REMAINS
OF OLD OCCLUSION, FOLLOWED BY WEAK SHORT-WAVE MOVING N.

INTERIOR: SNOW TONIGHT, DIMINISHING SUN IN RELATIVELY NARROW BAND
S OF LINE FROM PATA-PAEG TO CREST OF AK RANGE. LOCAL AMOUNTS UP
TO 3 POSSIBLE. GRADUAL COOLING THROUGH MON, THEN MUCH COOLER
TUE/WED WITH CLEARING, AND DIGGING UPPER TROUGH FROM N.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING POINT HOPE AREA ZONE 207. WIND
ADVISORIES REMAINDER 207...208..217..210..211..212..219
MARINE...BWA 9A/9B/10B/11A

MAR FEB 04

Event by event

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Denali

When: February 14, 8:14 PM AST to 9:47 PM AST
Where: Denali forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heavy Snow, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When: February 14, 9:00 PM AST to 10:00 PM AST
Where: Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng 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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, February 2004

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: 5381562, 5381563.