Blizzard in Alaska, January 9, 2004

Name: Blizzard in Alaska, January 9, 2004
Start: 2004-01-09T06:20
End: 2004-01-09T19:00
Location: Alaska

January 9, 2004 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A storm moved north of the eastern Alaska Peninsula Friday morning. Moderate snow along with northwest winds resulted in a blizzard across the western portions of the Alaska Peninsula.

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 AFC wrote it up.

A storm moved north of the eastern Alaska Peninsula Friday morning. Moderate snow along with northwest winds resulted in a blizzard across the western portions of the Alaska Peninsula.

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 Jan 8, 9:00 PM AST, 9 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 8, 9:00 PM AST, 9 hours 20 minutes before

SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
900 PM AST THU JAN 8 2004

.DISCUSSION...NCEP/UKMET SYNOPTIC SCALE INITIALIZATION REASONABLE.
FORECAST TRENDS IN FAIR AGREEMENT.

THE COLD AND DRY AIR WHICH HAS BEEN HOLDING OVER THE MAINLAND WILL BE
REPLACED BY MOIST AND SOME WHAT WARMER AIR OVER THE NEXT 36 HOURS.
ETA/UKMET OVERALL PREFERRED.

UPPER LOW SOUTH OF THE AK PEN MOVES NORTHWEST TO OVER THE
EASTERN/CENTRAL BERING SEA FRI/SAT. THIS SETS UP SOUTHERLY FLOW OVER
THE MAINLAND. SAT PIC AND SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS INDICATES SURFACE
CENTER SOUTH OF THE AK PEN IS MOVING NORTH TOWARD THE EASTERN BERING
SEA. CENTER SHOULD FILL AS IT TRACKS ALONG THE SOUTHWEST COAST FRI.
SOUTHEAST FLOW OVER OUT OF THE GULF IS OVERRUNNING COLDER AIR OVER
THE SOUTHERN MAINLAND. EXPECT AS TEMPS WARM FRI THAT DOWNSLOPE WILL
PLAY MORE OF A ROLE IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA.

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE.
MARINE...GALE 3A AND 15.

RMC JAN 04

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Alaska Peninsula

When: January 9, 6:20 AM AST to 7:00 PM AST
Where: Alaska Peninsula 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.

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, January 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: 5381927.