Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 9 to 12, 2004

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 9 to 12, 2004
Start: 2004-02-09T07:27
End: 2004-02-12T23:28
Location: Alaska

February 9 to 12, 2004 · NWS AFG · 12 events in 7 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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.

Strong high pressure over the Arctic Ocean moved east to northwest Canada while a low pressure center moved north over the eastern Bering Sea. The combination caused a strong pressure gradient over northern Alaska with locally strong easterly winds. Blizzard conditions in blowing snow developed over portions of the North Slope, along with extreme wind chills due to a presistent colder airmass over this region. Strong Chinook winds developed over the Alaska Range during this event. Blizzard conditions were reported or likely occurred at:Zone 201: Point Lay through the evening of the 11th, then at Wainwright on the day and evening of the 12th. Zone 202: Barrow - first during the late evening of the 9th; then overnight on the 10th through noon on the 11th.Zone 203: Nuiqsut; also at Deadhorse and Kuparuk. Occurred on the evening of the 9th and during the day on the 11th.Zone 213: Savoonga Extreme Wind Chills occurred at:Zone 202: Barrow: -65 FZone 203: Deadhorse: -68 F; Nuiqsut: -67 FHigh Winds occurred at:Zone 201: Cape Lisburne AWOS peak gust 52 knots (60 mph).Zone 223: along the southern boundary, west half, a person reported 50 trees downed along the "Rex Trail" which runs from Rex near the Clear Air Force Base to Gold King Airstrip. Winds measured at Gold King Airstrip (by over-the-counter instruments) were south 70 knots (80 mph). Delta Junction AWOS did not receive the Chinook winds, remaing east-southeast with gusts to 49 knots (56 mph).Zone 225: Healy reported gusts to 60 knots (69 mph).Zone 226: Gold King Airstrip: private citizen has over-the-counter wind instument: 70 knots (80 mph); U.S. Army Mesonet Stations: Texas Condo: 54 knots (62 mph); Texas Range: 53 knots (61 mph).

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 9, 6:00 AM AST, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 6:00 AM AST, 1 hour 27 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
600 AM AST MON FEB 9 2004

.DISCUSSION...

UPPER AIR: LOW PRESSURE WILL ROTATE ALONG THE ALEUTIANS AND OVER
THE NORTHERN BERING SEA. RIDGE...SLANTING FROM SOUTHEAST TO
NORTHWEST...WILL BUILD FROM WESTERN CANADA TO THE ARCTIC...NORTH
OF BARROW.

SURFACE COORDINATION MAP: A 965 MB LOW NEAR COLD BAY WILL BE 100
MILES WEST OF MEKORYUK AT 3PM AST MONDAY. THE LOW WILL OPEN UP
INTO A TROUGH MONDAY EVENING. A SECOND LOW...978 MB 600 MILES
SOUTH OF KODIAK AT 3PM MONDAY WILL STRENGTHEN TO 966 MB 200 MILES
SOUTH OF KODIAK BY 3AM TUESDAY. THE LOW WILL BE 981 MB NORTH OF
NOME AT 3AM WEDNESDAY. A THIRD LOW...967 MB NEAR ADAK WILL REMAIN
NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH 48 HOURS. AT 3AM WEDNESDAY THE LOW WILL
BE 973 MB 200 MILES EAST OF SHEMYA. A FRONT...FROM THE BERING
STRAIT TO THE SOUTH SLOPES OF THE BROOKS RANGE AND EAST INTO
CANADA...WILL DRIFT NORTH. AT 3AM TUESDAY THE FRONT WILL EXTEND
FROM THE BERING STRAIT TO WAINWRIGHT AND EAST ALONG THE NORTH
SLOPE TO CANADA.

MODEL COMPARISON: AT THIS TIME...THE AVIATION MODEL APPEARS TO BE
THE BEST MODEL FOR THE TRACK OF THE LOW NEAR COLD BAY...THOUGH IT
GIVES A CENTRAL PRESSURE WHICH IS PROBABLY TOO LOW. THE PRESSURE
FORECAST BY THE ETA WILL PROBABLY BE CLOSER.

STRONG LOW PRESSURE ON THE WAY AND WILL GIVE ANOTHER BURST OF
WINDS...SNOW AND WARMER TEMPERATURES. SNOWFALL OVER THE WESTERN
INTERIOR...NULATO HILLS AND SOUTHERN SLOPES OF BROOKS RANGE COULD
PRESENT A WEATHER PROBLEM ON TUESDAY. ALSO IF ENOUGH SNOW REACHES
THE BEAUFORT SEA COAST ON TUESDAY IT COULD BRING DOWN VISIBILITIES
CONSIDERABLY IN BLOWING SNOW.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
            ZONE 201 WESTERN ARCTIC COAST.
            ZONE 202 NORTHERN ARCTIC COAST.
            ZONE 203 CENTRAL BEAUFORT SEA COAST.
            ZONE 204 EASTERN BEAUFORT SEA COAST.
            ZONE 205 NORTHWESTERN BROOKS RANGE.
         BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
            ZONE 207 CHUCKI SEA COAST.
            ZONE 208 LOWER KOBUK AND NOATAK VALLEYS.
            ZONE 210 NORTHERN AND INTERIOR SEWARD PENINSULA.
            ZONE 217 UPPER KOBUK AND NOATAK VALLEYS.
         WIND ADVISORY ZONE 212 EASTERN NORTON SOUND AND NULATO
             HILLS.
         WIND ADVISORY ZONE 214 YUKON DELTA.

MARINE...GALE WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
            AREA 9A NORTON SOUND.
            AREA 9B DALL POINT TO WALES.
            AREA 10B WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE.
            AREA 11A CAPE LISBURNE TO CAPE HALKETT.
         BRISK WIND ADVISORY AREA 10A. KOTZEBUE SOUND.

DA FEB 04

Event by event

6 blizzard, 4 high wind, 2 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Western Arctic Coast

When: February 9, 7:27 AM AST to February 12, 11:28 PM AST
Where: Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Arctic Coast

When: February 9, 7:36 AM AST to 8:53 AM AST
Where: Northern Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When: February 9, 7:53 AM AST to 1:21 PM AST
Where: Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: February 9, 3:36 PM AST to 11:16 PM AST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When: February 9, 7:53 PM AST to 11:19 PM AST
Where: Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Northern Arctic Coast

When: February 9, 9:13 PM AST to February 10, 1:53 AM AST
Where: Northern Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Deltana and Tanana

When: February 10, 2:53 AM AST to 11:53 PM AST
Where: Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

High Wind, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When: February 10, 8:45 AM AST to 11:30 PM AST
Where: Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Denali

When: February 10, 11:48 AM AST to 12:59 PM AST
Where: Denali forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Blizzard, Northern Arctic Coast

When: February 10, 11:11 PM AST to February 11, 12:01 PM AST
Where: Northern Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Western Arctic Coast

When: February 11, 2:25 AM AST to 3:25 AM AST
Where: Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When: February 11, 10:30 AM AST to 5:53 PM AST
Where: Central Beaufort Sea 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.
Cold/Wind Chill: Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
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: 5381464, 5381462, 5381463, 5381461, 5381460, 5381459, 5381465, 5381552, 5381551, 5381554, 5381555, 5381553.