Cold/Wind Chill, Western Arctic Coast
- When
- February 20, 2:53 AM AST to 12:54 PM AST
- Where
- Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Cold in Alaska, February 20, 2004
With cold air already in place over the North Slope resulting in temperatures in the minus 30s, east winds increased to 30 mph bringing chill factors to dangerous levels. Extreme Windchill was reported at: Point Lay: -76 F.
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 AFG wrote it up.
With cold air already in place over the North Slope resulting in temperatures in the minus 30s, east winds increased to 30 mph bringing chill factors to dangerous levels. Extreme Windchill was reported at: Point Lay: -76 F.
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 19, 2:30 PM AST, 12 hours 23 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 2:30 PM AST, 12 hours 23 minutes before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION 230 PM AST THU FEB 19 2004 .DISCUSSION...THE SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT OVER SOUTHERN MAINLAND ALASKA IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD SLOWLY NORTHWARD OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. A WEATHER FRONT ALOFT ALONG ABOUT PAEH-CYXY IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD ADDITIONAL CLOUD COVER AS FAR NORTH AS PAOM AND PARC TONIGHT...AND INTO NORTHWEST ALASKA ON FRI...THOUGH LITTLE OR NO SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED WITH IT. A SECOND FRONT LIES OVER THE SOUTHERN GULF OF ALASKA. IT WILL MOVE ASHORE OVER THE NORTH GULF COAST AROUND 3AM FRI TO BE DIFFUSE AND ALOFT OVER THE ALASKA RANGE AT 3PM FRI. ANOTHER ONE WILL HAVE MOVED INTO THE SOUTHERN GULF BY THEN. PROSPECTS FOR SUBSTANTIAL SNOWFALL OVER NORTHERN ALASKA APPEAR SLIM THROUGH SAT...AND OUR ARCTIC ZONES WILL SEE LITTLE CHANGE IN REGIME TIL THEN (AT THE EARLIEST). THE INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH PREVAILINGLY WARMER TEMPERATURES ON THE WHOLE...BUT THERE WILL BE CONSIDERABLE VARIABILITY IN SKY CONDITION...WITH SOME SPOTS RADIATING DOWN RAPIDLY UNDER CLEAR OR PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES AT NIGHT. .AFG...WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...WIND CHILL ADVISORY ZONE 213. MARINE...NONE. DJH FEB 04
Event by event
1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flooding in California, February 20, 2004
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Michigan, February 20 to 21, 2004
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, February 20 to 21, 2004
- Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 20 to 21, 2004
- Waterspout in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, February 20, 2004
- Funnel Cloud in California, February 20, 2004
- Lightning Strike in California, February 20, 2004
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5381564.