Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, March 18 to 19, 2004

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, March 18 to 19, 2004
Start: 2004-03-18T17:00
End: 2004-03-19T16:00
Location: Alaska

March 18 to 19, 2004 · NWS AFC · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

2 blizzard, 1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 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 Mar 18, 11:00 AM AST, 6 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 18, 11:00 AM AST, 6 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION SOUTHWEST ALASKA
1100 AM AST THU MAR 18 2004

.DISCUSSION...

IN THE UPPER LEVELS... THE AMPLIFYING RIDGE OVER THE BERING SEA WILL
PROGRESS OVER MAINLAND ALASKA THROUGH SAT. THE UPPER TROUGH OVER
SOUTHEAST WILL BECOME A CUT-OFF LOW IN THE NORTHERN PACIFIC SAT. THIS
AS THE RIDGE PROGRESSES INLAND... OUTFLOW WINDS WILL INCREASE FROM
THE ALASKA RANGE SOUTH WITH THE PEAK EVENT LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY
MORNING.

AT THE SURFACE... STRONG HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE BERING SEA AND A LOW
NEAR 40N 170E. A LOW NEAR KETCHIKAN AND A WEAK LOW IN THE NORTH GULF
COAST. STRONG NORTHERLY FLOW FROM THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS THROUGH
SOUTHCENTRAL IS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT COLD AIR ADVECTION. THIS
COMBINED WITH THE FETCH ACROSS THE BERING IS PRODUCING SHOWERS IN THE
ALEUTIANS AND ALASKA PENINSULA. MAINLAND AND AREAS ARE DRY.

MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THIS MORNING. MAIN DIFFERENCE IS THE
WEAK LOW IN THE NORTH GULF. ETA HAS A SLIGHTLY DEEPER CENTER AND
MAINTAINS THE POSITION FURTHER THROUGH TONIGHT WHERE OTHER SOLUTIONS
TREND THE LOW TO THE SOUTHWEST. THE ETA SOLUTION WOULD SUPPORT
STRONGER WINDS... THIS IS OUR MODEL OF THE DAY.

THE MAIN AREAS OF CONCERN FOR WARNINGS INCLUDE THE ALASKA RANGE IN
ZONE 145. STRONG OUTFLOW WINDS SHOULD MEET WARNING CRITERIA TONIGHT
ESPECIALLY IN BROAD PASS. WITH THE CURRENT POWDERY SNOWPACK WE ARE
CONSIDERING A BLIZZARD WARNING. ZONE 135 WILL HAVE STRONG WINDS ALONG
THE COPPER RIVER DELTA. ZONE 131 MAINLY THROUGH CHANNELED AREAS
INCLUDING THE CITY OF VALDEZ AND KEYSTONE CANYON. BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW WILL BE A FACTOR IN THE PASS.  ZONE 111 IS NOT A SLAM
DUNK WARNING SITUATION BUT WITH THE COLD AIR ADVECTION AND THE
POSITION OF THE JET STEAM IT WILL BE CLOSE. WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE
THE WARNING TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE.

ALL OTHER ZONES IN THE EASTERN DOMAIN WILL SEE ADVISORY LEVEL
WINDS... MAINLY THROUGH CHANNELED TERRAIN. BRISTOL BAY AND THE ALASKA
PENINSULA WINDS WILL ALSO BE ADVISORY LEVEL TODAY.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING 111 131 135
      ...BLIZZARD WARNING 145
MARINE...STORM 3A 5A 13B
      ...GALE 2B 2B1 2C 2C4 3BC 4 4A 5B 6A 6B 13A
      ...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY 2B1 2C4 3AC 4 4A 5A 6A 6B
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

PROTON/RZEWUSKI MAR 04

Event by event

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

Blizzard, Susitna Valley

When: March 18, 5:00 PM AST to March 19, 11:00 AM AST
Where: Susitna Valley forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Blizzard, Nern P.W. Snd

When: March 18, 6:30 PM AST to March 19, 12:30 AM AST
Where: Nern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

High wind warning upgraded to a blizzard warning for Thompson Pass based on a DOT report from Thompson Pass which reported near zero visibility through the Pass. A blizzard warning was issued for the Susitna Valley primarily along the Alaska Range for Broad Pass and eventually changed to a high wind warning Friday. Chulitna reported a peak wind of 70 mph at 9 pm on Thursday March 18th. Several calls were made to spotters and residents west of the Parks Highway on Thursday morning. Loose and fluffy snow pack contributed to blizzard conditions ... mainly west of the Parks Highway from the middle of the day on Thursday March 18th into the morning hours of Friday March 19th. By Friday the snow pack was either scoured down to bare ground or hard snow pack. High winds remained a problem after that so the blizzard warning was changed to a high wind warning.

High Wind, Susitna Valley

When: March 19, 11:00 AM AST to 4:00 PM AST
Where: Susitna Valley forecast zone
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) estimated 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, March 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: 5384993, 5384992, 5384994.