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

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 7 to 9, 2004
Start: 2004-02-07T13:00
End: 2004-02-09T06:30
Location: Alaska

February 7 to 9, 2004 · NWS AFC · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 AFC wrote it up.

A strong storm moved from south of the Alaska Peninsula into Bristol bay Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. This produced northeast wind and snow over the Kuskokwim Delta resulting in Blizzard conditions Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. The worst conditions remained isolated to the coastal regions, especially on the ocean capes. This same storm also resulted in a very strong pressure gradient over south central Alaska. Typically strong wind developed across the Chugach mountains and down Turnagain Arm. The peak gust was measured at Mchugh Creek RWIS at 75 mph. The second punch to this storm impacted the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay late Sunday night into Monday morning producing wind that peaked near 85 mph at Cold bay and to 79 mph at Cape Newenham.

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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 7, 12:00 PM AST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 7, 12:00 PM AST, 1 hour before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION SOUTHWEST ALASKA
1200 PM AST SAT FEB 7 2004

.DISCUSSION...
LONGWAVE RIDGE CONTINUES TO AMPLIFY ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST OF THE
LOWER-48. THIS WILL PLAY A MAJOR FACTOR INTO THE FORECAST FOR THE
NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. A STRONG SHORTWAVE IS DEVELOPING OFF THE ALEUTIAN
LOW WELL SOUTH OF DUTCH HARBOR THIS MORNING AND SHOULD ROTATE AROUND
THE ALEUTIAN LOW AND MOVE OVER DILLINGHAM BY SUNDAY NIGHT. COMBINED
WITH THE PACIFIC COAST RIDGE WE WILL HAVE A GOOD SOUTH SOUTHWESTERLY
FLOW ALOFT. THE GFS SUGGESTS THIS PATTERN SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH THE
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WITH SEVERAL SHORTWAVES ROTATING UP INTO THE
NORTH GULF COAST OR BRISTOL BAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN WARM WET AND
WINDY WEATHER FOR MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA.

AT THE SURFACE IN THE EAST...THE UKMET IS THE WINNER THIS MORNING AS
IT HAS NEARLY THE EXACT 12Z POSITION OF A LOW SOUTHWEST OF KODIAK
ISLAND. THIS WAS NOT HANDLED WELL WITH THE PREVIOUS PACKAGE. THE GFS
HAS THE LOW TOO FAR TO THE NORTHEAST THIS MORNING AND BRINGS THE
CENTER INTO COOK INLET AND OVER ANCHORAGE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS DOES
NOT LOOK REASONABLE AS THE CENTER IS ALREADY TOO FAR TO THE EAST.
EXPECT THE CENTER TO MOVE NEAR CORDOVA INSTEAD AS INDICATED BY THE
UKMET. THE REAL STORY IS THE DEVELOPING LOW SUPPORTED BY THE
DEVELOPING SHORTWAVE SOUTH OF DUTCH HARBOR. THIS WILL INTENSIFY AS IT
MOVES SOMEWHERE BETWEEN BRISTOL BAY AND COOK INLET SUNDAY. THE
QUESTION IS... WHERE WILL THE LOW CENTER FALL.  IF IN BRISTOL BAY
ANCHORAGE HILLSIDE/TURNAGAIN ARM COULD SEE VERY STRONG WINDS SUNDAY
WITH LITTLE PRECIPITATION IN THE CITY. BUT GIVEN THE UPPER LEVEL
PATTERN ITS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION FOR THE LOW TO FOLLOW THE PATH
OF LEAST RESISTANCE AND TRACK UP COOK INLET SUNDAY. THIS WOULD MEAN
LESS WIND BUT MORE PRECIPITATION FOR THE ANCHORAGE ZONE.  THIS IS THE
PROBLEM OF THE DAY.  THE CURRENT FORECAST PACKAGE REFLECTS THE
MOVEMENT OF THE LOW INTO BRISTOL BAY SUNDAY.

ON THE SURFACE IN THE WEST...THE FRONTAL COMPLEX ALONG THE ALEUTIAN
CHAIN PERSISTS WITH SEVERAL LOWS ALONG THE FRONT. THIS SUPPORTS
PERSISTENT SHOWERS AND EASTERLY GALES THROUGH OUT THE BERING. THE GFS
MOVES THE INTENSIFYING LOW SOUTH OF DUTCH HARBOR THIS MORNING IS TO
MOVE NEAR DILLINGHAM SUNDAY. EXPECT THE WINDS TO INCREASE TONIGHT IN
THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS AND ALASKA PENINSULA WITH THE ADVANCE OF THIS
LOW. THERE IS A GOOD THREAT FOR FREEZING RAIN IN BRISTOL BAY TONIGHT
AS THERE IS AN ESTABLISHED LAYER OF COLD AIR AT THE SURFACE AND A
STRONG PUSH OF WARM AIR WITH THIS SYSTEM. WE COULD EVEN SEE ABOVE
ZERO TEMPERATURES TO THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY AND DELTA ZONES AS EARLY AS
SUNDAY.

.ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE
MARINE...STORM WARNING...5A
         GALE WARNING...BERING SEA OFFSHORE 5B 6AB 8 12A 12A1 14 15
         HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING...BERING SEA OFFSHORE 6A 14 15
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

FEB 04

Event by event

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

Blizzard, Kuskokwim Delta

When: February 7, 1:00 PM AST to February 8, 1:00 PM AST
Where: Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: February 8, 8:00 AM AST to 9:30 AM AST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Alaska Peninsula

When: February 8, 11:30 PM AST to February 9, 5:30 AM AST
Where: Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 73 kt (84 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Bristol Bay

When: February 9, 1:00 AM AST to 6:30 AM AST
Where: Bristol Bay forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph) measured gust
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.

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: 5381570, 5381571, 5381572, 5381573.