Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 7 to 9, 2004

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 7 to 9, 2004
Start: 2004-02-07T10:55
End: 2004-02-09T10:53
Location: Alaska

February 7 to 9, 2004 · NWS AFG · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 pressure center moved north over the western Alaska Peninsula and produced a strong pressure gradient over mainland Alaska, aided by strong high pressure over the Arctic Ocean. Colder air residing over the North Slope created extreme wind chill readings as winds increased through Brooks Range passes and in local areas. Blizzard conditions were reported at:Zone 211: GolovinZone 214: Cape Romanzof. Emmonak came close to blizzard conditions.Zone 219: Indian MountainHigh winds were reported at:Zone 226: Army Mesonet site named Texas Range: peak gusts to 56 knots (64 mph).Extreme Wind Chills were reported at:Zone 201: Point Lay : -75 F; Wainwright -66 FZOne 206: Anaktuvuk Pass: -65 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 6, 2:30 PM AST, 20 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 6, 2:30 PM AST, 20 hours 25 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM AST FRI FEB 6 2004

.DISCUSSION...A BREAK IN TH ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN THAT HAS BEEN
AFFECTING NORTHERN ALASKA IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN THIS EVENING, THEN
LAST THROUGH SAT BEFORE ANOTHER STRONG LOW CENTER BEGINS TO AFFECT
OUR WEATHER ON SUN AS IT MOVES NE-WARD OVER SOUTHWEST ALASKA. THE
STRONG WINDS AND LOW WIND CHILLS THAT HAVE BEEN AFFECTING PLACES
ALONG THE WEST COAST ARE SLOWLY DIMINISHING THIS AFTERNOON AS THE
LOW CENTER THAT GENERATED THE WINDS WEAKENS OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL
ALASKA. THE SNOW THAT HAS BEEN FALLING OVER THE EASTERN 2/3 OF THE
INTERIOR AND ARCTIC ZONES IS BEGINNING TO DIMINISH FROM SOUTH TO
NORTH AND THE LOW CENTER WEAKENS AND MOVES INTO CANADA. SOME
CLEARING IS LIKELY FROM FAIRBANKS WEST AND NORTH TONIGHT AND SAT.
HOWEVER, ANOTHER, WEAKER LOW CENTER WILL LIKELY BRING MORE CLOUDS
AND LIGHT SNOW TO THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST INTERIOR ON SAT AS IT
MOVES INTO EXTREME SOUTHEAST MAINLAND ALASKA. THE WEST COAST WILL
SEE MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES AND RATHER COLD TEMPS THROUGH AT LEAST SUN
AS HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING REMAINS IN CONTROL AT THE SURFACE.

LIGHT N-LY FLOW SHOULD KEEP THE WESTERN ARCTIC COAST MOSTLY CLOUDY
AND COLD WITH FLURRIES AND FOG AT TIMES THROUGH SAT. STRONG W-LY
WINDS AND LOW WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ALONG THE
EASTERN ARCTIC COAST TONIGHT THEN DIMINISH ON SAT AS THE LOW
PRESSURE TROUGH GENERATING THE WINDS WEAKENS AND MOVES NE-WARD
AWAY FROM THE REGION. SURFACE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME E-LY
ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST ON SUN WITH SOME CLEARING AS A HIGH CENTER
MOVES E-WARD TO THE NORTH.

CLOUDS AND WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER ALL OF NORTHERN
ALASKA SUN AND SUN NIGHT AS A DEEP LOW CENTER MOVES OVER SOUTHWEST
ALASKA. LIGHT SNOW IS LIKELY TO FALL OVER MOST AREAS SOUTH OF THE
BROOKS RANGE WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOWS FALLING OVER THE NORTHERN
INTERIOR, AWAY FROM THE DRYING EFFECTS OF THE ALASKA RANGE. QUITE
STRONG N-LY WINDS ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP OVER MANY AREAS OF THE
WEST COAST WITH LOW WIND CHILLS AGAIN EXPECTED FROM THE SEWARD
PENINSULA N-WARD. TEMPS OVER THE EASTERN INTERIOR WILL LIKELY INTO
THE TEENS AND 20S ABOVE ZERO BY MON. AFTER A BRIEF BREAK ON TUE,
YET ANOTHER LOW CENTER SHOULD BRING MOE CLOUDS, WINDS, AND SNOW TO
OUR FORECAST AREA ON WED AND THU.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WIND CHILL ADVY 204...205 ...206...207 ...208... 210...
211...213 TONIGHT. WIND ADVY 206 TONIGHT.
MARINE...BRSK WIND 9B AND 10B.

MP FEB 04

Event by event

3 blizzard, 2 cold/wind chill, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Yukon Delta

When: February 7, 10:55 AM AST to February 8, 6:55 PM AST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When: February 8, 4:00 AM AST to 6:15 AM AST
Where: Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill, N. Brooks Rng E of Colville R

When: February 8, 5:16 AM AST to 2:56 PM AST
Where: N. Brooks Rng E of Colville R forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Arctic Coast

When: February 8, 8:28 AM AST to February 9, 10:53 AM AST
Where: Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Upper Koyukuk Valley

When: February 8, 11:55 AM AST to 2:55 PM AST
Where: Upper Koyukuk Valley forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Srn Seward Peninsula Coast

When: February 8, 12:56 PM AST to 5:16 PM AST
Where: Srn Seward Peninsula Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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

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: 5381454, 5381453, 5381457, 5381458, 5381455, 5381456.