Alaska, 2004

Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 5 to 7, 2004

February 5 to 7, 2004 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 1 county or zone

With a high pressure ridge over the inland North Slope of Alaska and weak low pressure over interior Alaska, a strong pressure gradient developed over Brooks Range passes on the night of the 6th and continued through the 7th. Wind gusts of 53 knots (61 mph) were reported by the State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Camp at Chandalar near Atigun Pass.

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.

With a high pressure ridge over the inland North Slope of Alaska and weak low pressure over interior Alaska, a strong pressure gradient developed over Brooks Range passes on the night of the 6th and continued through the 7th. Wind gusts of 53 knots (61 mph) were reported by the State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Camp at Chandalar near Atigun Pass. A portion of the Dalton Highway in and near Atigun Pass was completely closed due to high winds and drifting/blowing snow during the 6th; the highway was open to one lane by evening.

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 5, 2:30 PM AST, 6 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 5, 2:30 PM AST, 6 hours 30 minutes before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM AST THU FEB 5 2004

.DISCUSSION...
968 MB LOW IN THE EASTERN GULF OF WILL MOVE TO NEAR CORDOVA NEXT 6
HOURS...WITH REDEVELOPMENT NEAR THE ALCAN BORDER OVERNIGHT.
ASSOCIATED OCCLUSION MOVING NORTH AND WESTWARD WILL SPREAD SNOW
BACK INTO THE CENTRAL INTERIOR TONIGHT...WITH SNOW REDEVELOPING
IN THE SOUTHEAST INTERIOR FRIDAY AS THE LOW LEVEL FLOW TURNS
WESTERLY IN THE COLD ADVECTION FOLLOWING THE SURFACE LOW.
CYCLOGENISIS POSSIBLE FRIDAY OR FRIDAY NIGHT IN MACKENZIE BAY.
MEANWHILE...COLD 1025 MB HIGH CENTERED OVER CHUKOTA WILL REMAIN
BUT CENTER WILL MOVE/REFORM OVER THE NORTHERN CHUKCHI SEA BY
SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

MODELS DIFFER IN SOME REGARDS IN THE SHORT TERM...ESPECIALLY
REGARDING DEVELOPMENT OF ANOTHER SURFACE LOW IN THE NORTHEASTERN
GULF FRI NIGHT AND SATURDAY. IN ANY EVENT THIS WOULD AT MOST
IMPACT ONLY ZONES 226 AND SOUTHERN 224. MID RANGE MODELS IN
AGREEMENT ON MEGO RIDGE BUILDING ALONG ABOUT 125-130W...WHICH WILL
LIKELY MEAN A SIGNIFICANT WARM..ESPECIALLY EAST OF 155W.

NORTH SLOPE...SEASONABLY COLD WEATHER CONTINUING. SNOW IN THE OLD
FRONTAL BAND DIMINISHING BUT SOME SNOW LIKELY EASTERN ZONES FROM
INCOMING SYSTEM FROM THE SOUTH. IF LOW/SURFACE TROUGH DEVELOPS IN
MACKENZIE BAY THEN STRONG WEST WINDS AND ASSOCIATED WEATHER A
POSSIBILITY AT LEAST IN ZONE 204 STARTING FRI NIGHT.

FOR THE WEST COAST...WINDS AND AND ASSOCIATED LOW WIND CHILLS/BS
WILL IMPROVE A BIT AS SURFACE HIGH RECENTERS ITSELF OVER THE
CHUKCHI SEA OVER THE WEEKEND.

FOR THE INTERIOR...SNOW SHOULD REMAIN SUB ADVISORY...THOUGH WITH
SURFACE LOW PULLING AMPLE MOISTURE NORTHWARD THERE COULD BE A FEW
SURPRISES IN TOPOGRAPHICALLY FAVORED AREAS. COLD ADVECTION
FOLLOWING THE LOW WILL ALSO BRING A PERIOD OF BRISK WINDS TO
FAVORED AREAS FRI INTO EARLY SAT.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WIND CHILL WARNING 213. ADD 207..208..210..211..212..214
         WIND ADVISORY 211..214
MARINE...BWA 91..9B..10B.

RT FEB 04

Event by event

1 high wind, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, S. Slopes of Ern Brooks Range

When
February 5, 9:00 PM AST to February 7, 10:00 AM AST
Where
S. Slopes of Ern Brooks Range forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Blizzard, S. Slopes of Ern Brooks Range

When
February 5, 9:00 PM AST to February 6, 3:00 PM AST
Where
S. Slopes of Ern Brooks Range forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

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: 5381451, 5381452.