Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, November 26 to 28, 2004

Name: Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, November 26 to 28, 2004
Start: 2004-11-26T22:00
End: 2004-11-28T07:30
Location: Alaska

November 26 to 28, 2004 · NWS AFC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A storm developed south of the central Aleutian Islands. The storm moved northeast then northward as it passed into the Bering Sea around 6:00 PM AST on the 26th.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $3,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 developed south of the central Aleutian Islands. The storm moved northeast then northward as it passed into the Bering Sea around 6:00 PM AST on the 26th. The low center continued to intensify as it moved between Nunivak Island and St. Matthew Island. A strong pressure gradient ahead of the associated weather front resulted in high winds through, and west of, the Chugach Mountains. Several downed trees were reported on the Anchorage Hillside; some downed trees damaged homes in the city. This storm was associated with a pronounced southerly fetch which brought warm moist air into the Southcentral Region. Rain fell throughout much of Southcentral except in the northern zones where orographically enhanced snowfall rates left several feet of wet snow over the Northern Susitna Valley. Some residents reported snowfall rates of upwards of 3 to 4 inches per hour on the 27th and 28th.

Event by event

1 heavy snow, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Susitna Valley

When: November 26, 10:00 PM AST to November 28, 7:30 AM AST
Where: Susitna Valley forecast zone
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: November 27, 3:53 AM AST to 11:52 PM AST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured: 71 kt (82 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
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, 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5426895, 5426894.