Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, March 19 to 21, 2004

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, March 19 to 21, 2004
Start: 2004-03-19T13:55
End: 2004-03-21T08:51
Location: Alaska

March 19 to 21, 2004 · NWS AFG · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 strong warm front moved east across the Chukchi Sea and the Arctic Coast on the 19th through the 20th, creating blizzard conditions across many places in the North Slope Borough, far northwest Alaska, and strong winds at Cape Lisburne, where the AWOS recorded a peak gust to 60 knots (69 mph).Blizzard conditions were reported or likely occurred at::Zone 201: Cape Lisburne, Wainwright Zone 203: Deadhorse, NuiqsutZone 204: Barter IslandZone 207; Point Hope, Kivalina

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 Mar 18, 3:30 PM AST, 22 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 18, 3:30 PM AST, 22 hours 25 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
330 PM AST THU MAR 18 2004

.DISCUSSION...

ALOFT...A VERY AMPLIFIED PATTERN BEGINNING TO TAKE SHAPE OVER THE
49TH STATE.  A TROUGH AXIS EXTENDS NORTH/SOUTH ALONG THE ALCAN
BORDER AND A RIDGE WITH HEIGHTS APPROACHING 576 DM OVER THE BERING
SEA.  THE TROUGH WILL SLIDE SOUTHWEST INTO THE NORTHERN PACIFIC
OCEAN THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD WHILE THE RIDGE MOVES OVER THE
STATE FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST.

SURFACE...SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL BERING SEA AND
EASTERN ARCTIC COAST WILL GRADUALLY ANCHOR ITSELF OVER THE STATE
THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  CURRENTLY...AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE
EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA IS HELPING TO THROW MOISTURE BACK ACROSS
THE EASTERN ALASKA RANGE INTO THE SOUTHEAST INTERIOR.  THE
GRADIENT BETWEEN THE LOW AND THE BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE IS
RESULTING IN GUSTY WINDS OVER THE ALASKA RANGE ZONES.  THIS WILL
CONTINUE ON FRIDAY AND DIMINISH OVER THE WEEKEND AS THE GRADIENT
RELAXES.  THE OTHER AREA OF CONCERN IS OVER THE NORTHWEST CORNER
OF THE STATE. AN AREA OF PRECIPITATION FROM A LOW OVER SIBERIA
WILL ROUND THE TOP OF THE RIDGE AND WILL COMBINE WITH INCREASING
WINDS OVER THE WEEKEND.

ARCTIC COAST...A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ZONE 201
AS WINDS WILL INCREASE TO THE 30 TO 40 MPH RANGE BY LATE FRIDAY.
TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE AS THE RIDGE WILL ALLOW 850 TEMPS TO
WARM TO NEAR -2C ALONG THE WESTERN NORTH SLOPE.  AVN MODEL HAS
BEEN HINTING AT THE POSSIBILITY FOR MIXED PRECIP BUT THIS MAY BE
OVER DOING IT SLIGHTLY AS 850 TEMPS STAY BELOW FREEZING.

WESTERN COAST...HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD KEEP SKIES CLEAR FOR ANOTHER
18 TO 24 HOURS. THE PRECIP MENTIONED ABOVE SHOULD MOVE OVER THE
RIDGE AND WILL AFFECT THE NOME AND KOTZEBUE AREAS INTO SATURDAY.
TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO MODERATE INTO NEXT WEEK.

INTERIOR...SKIES WILL CLEAR AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN OVER THE
WEEKEND.  WINDS WILL DECREASE ON SATURDAY OVER THE ALASKA RANGE
ZONES AS THE LOW MOVES WELL AWAY. MODERATING 850 TEMPS COMBINED
WITH THE INCREASING SUN ANGLE WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO WARM INTO
THE 30S ACROSS THE INTERIOR NEXT WEEK.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WINTER STORM WATCH...ZONE 201
MARINE...NONE

AT MAR 04

Event by event

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

High Wind, Western Arctic Coast

When: March 19, 1:55 PM AST to March 21, 8:51 AM AST
Where: Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Chukchi Sea Coast

When: March 19, 3:16 PM AST to March 20, 2:36 PM AST
Where: Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Western Arctic Coast

When: March 19, 6:55 PM AST to 7:55 PM AST
Where: Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast

When: March 20, 2:15 PM AST to 6:15 PM AST
Where: Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When: March 20, 2:38 PM AST to 7:06 PM AST
Where: Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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, 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: 5388118, 5388117, 5388114, 5388116, 5388115.