Alaska, 2004

Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, November 14 to 15, 2004

November 14 to 15, 2004 · NWS AFG · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

A low pressure center, having moved north over the Bering Sea, continued north over the Chukchi sea on the night of the 14th curving northwest and weakening. Zone 202 - Barrow.

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 AFG wrote it up.

A low pressure center, having moved north over the Bering Sea, continued north over the Chukchi sea on the night of the 14th curving northwest and weakening. The strong high pressure over the Beaufort sea moved little, and the combination resulted in blizzard conditions at:Zone 201 - Wainwright (likely) as ASOS winds gusted 33 knots (38 mph) and visibilities were 1/4 mile during the event.Zone 202 - Barrow. ASOS Peak wind gust was 48 knots (55 mph).Zone 203 - Nuiqsut. Peak wind gust was 43 knots (50 mph). High Winds were reported at:Zone 201 - Cape Lisburne AWOS peak gust 57 knots (66 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 Nov 14, 6:00 AM AST, 5 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 14, 6:00 AM AST, 5 hours 50 minutes before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
600 AM AST SUN NOV 14 2004

.DISCUSSION...WARM WEST COAST STORM IS PRIMARY FEATURE OF CONCERN
FOR NORTHER ALASKA TODAY.

500MB CLOSED LOW IS OVER RUSSIAN FAR EAST WITH SOUTHERLY FLOW IN
PLACE OVER EASTERN BERING SEA AND WESTERN ALASKA. 960MB LOW
APPROACHING SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND IS BEING PUSHED NORTH BY THIS
STEERING FLOW. THIS LOW BRINGS MUCH MILD AIR WITH IT. ONLY
ALASKAS NORTHWEST COAST...WHICH STILL HAS SOME SURFACE-BASED
ARCTIC AIR IN PLACE...IS POISED TO RECEIVE PRIMARILY SNOW AND
ENOUGH WIND FOR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. AREA FROM NOME SOUTH ALREADY
WARMING AND HAVING SOME LIQUID PRECIPITATION. WHILE BLIZZARD IS
MOST WIDESPREAD THREAT...THERE IS CHANCE FOR MINIMAL CRITERIA
HEAVY SNOW IN AREAS FAVORED WITH UPSLOPE FLOW. EVENT SHOULD END
OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AS SURFACE LOW MOVES INTO CHUKCHI SEA AND
BEGINS TO WEAKEN RAPIDLY.

ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST...ZONE 201 CAN GET SOME OVERRUNNING SNOW
AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DUE TO STRONG EASTERLY SURFACE WINDS
AND BLOWING SNOW TODAY. ZONE 202 AND BARROW ARE IN THE TRANSITION
ZONE...TOO FAR EAST TO GET MUCH NEW SNOW FROM OCCLUDED FRONT BUT
STILL IN THE TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT AND ASSOCIATED WINDS. WILL
GO ADVISORY FOR 202 AND WARNING FOR 201. FURTHER EAST ON THE
ARCTIC COAST THERE IS EVEN LESS CHANCE FOR SNOW...AS WELL AS A
LITTLE LESS WIND.

INTERIOR...STUBBORN NARROW 500MB RIDGE WILL HINDER OCCLUSION
ASSOCIATED WITH WEST COAST STORM FROM ADVANCING INLAND TODAY.
THAT MEANS DRY WEATHER FOR THE INTERIOR AND NO CHANCE FOR CHINOOK
IN ALASKA RANGE PASSES THROUGH THE NEXT 36 HOURS. LOCAL ICE JAM
FLOODING NEAR HARDING LAKE CONTINUES. WILL HAVE TO SEE IF DAYTIME
BRINGS ANY NEW GROUND TRUTH BEFORE DECIDING TO EXTEND OR CANCEL
THE WARNING WHICH IS SET TO EXPIRE THIS AFTERNOON. MODERATE
AIRMASS AND STRATUS CLOUDS HAVE KEPT TEMPERATURES MILD...SO
NO WIDESPREAD FREEZING OF TANANA RIVER IS IN PROGRESS.

EXTENDED FORECAST...MID RANGE MODELS AGREE ON KEEPING MEAN 500MB
TROUGH OVER BERING SEA WITH CYCLONES MOVING INTO THE EASTERN
BERING EVERY FEW DAYS FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. THUS EXPECT
OCCASIONAL WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR WEST COAST ZONES. ASSOCIATED
SOUTHERLY STEERING FLOW INTO MAINLAND ALASKA WILL PREVENT ANY
WIDESPREAD COLD EVENTS FROM DEVELOPING OVER THE INTERIOR...THIS
FLOW WILL ALSO BE ON THE DRY SIDE DUE TO PRECIP SHADOW OF ALASKA
RANGE. ALL VERY SIMILAR TO THE PATTERN OF OCT-NOV-DEC 2002...
BUT THIS TIME WITH MORE SNOWPACK ALREADY IN PLACE OVER THE
INTERIOR.

.AFG WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...ZONE 201: WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT.
         ZONE 202: WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THROUGH TONIGHT.
         ZONES 207>209: WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT.
         ZONE 210: WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY.
         ZONES 211-212: WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY.
         ZONE 223: ICE JAM FLOOD WARNING TANANA RIVER NEAR SALCHA
           THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON.

WINTER STORM WARNING ZONES 201-207>210
MARINE...AREA 9A: GALE TODAY...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TONIGHT.
         AREA 9B: GALE THROUGH TONIGHT.
         AREA 10A: GALE TODAY...BRISK WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT.
         AREA 10B: GALE THROUGH TONIGHT.
         AREA 11A: BRISK WIND ADVISORY THROUGH TONIGHT.
         AREA 11B: BRISK WIND ADVISORY THROUGH TONIGHT.

ES NOV 04

Event by event

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

Blizzard, Western Arctic Coast

When
November 14, 11:50 AM AST to November 15, 12:10 AM AST
Where
Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When
November 14, 1:50 PM AST to November 15, 12:50 PM AST
Where
Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Northern Arctic Coast

When
November 14, 10:53 PM AST to November 15, 6:02 AM AST
Where
Northern Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Western Arctic Coast

When
November 15, 4:44 AM AST to 6:00 PM AST
Where
Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Measured
57 kt (66 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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, November 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: 5428003, 5428005, 5428004, 5428006.