Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, November 2 to 4, 2004

The "Election Day" storm originated as a large Bering Sea storm. This system produced a strong pressure gradient as it moved toward the Gulf Coast of Alaska. It intensified as it moved through the Eastern Aleutians and approached the Bristol Bay coastline. As the low center moved over the Cook Inlet region, it split. The main center continued northeast while the residual center moved into Prince William Sound. The strong gradient in advance of the front along the North Gulf Coast produced blizzard conditions in Southeast Prince William Sound and Thompson Pass. The strong pressure gradient and cold advection that occurred around the back side of this storm resulted in areas of blowing snow and blizzard conditions along the Bering Sea coast. The collision of the cold air over the South Central Region, with the strong moist advection from the Gulf of Alaska, resulted in the heavy snow along the Alaska Range. Significant snow fell elsewhere in South Central Alaska.Highlights of this storm include:Warning level winds occurred across the Alaska Peninsula, the southern portion of Kodiak Island, the Anchorage Hillside and Turnagain Arm. Blizzard conditions occurred over the Bristol Bay coast, the Kuskokwim Delta, in Southeast Prince William Sound and in Northeast Prince William Sound at Thompson Pass. Heavy snow occurred along the Alaska Range in the Susitna Valley, in the Talkeetna Mountains of the Copper River Basin, and Northeast Prince William Sound at Thompson Pass. Wind advisory conditions occurred across the Aleutian Chain, the Pribilof Islands, the Matanuska Valley and the Kenai Peninsula. Advisory level snow fell across the Kenai Peninsula, the Anchorage area, the Matanuska Valley, the Kuskokwim Valley and Bristol Bay.