Due to persistent periods of high pressure located over western North America for much of the past winter, record warm air temperatures were established in many locations throughout Alaska. Much of this record warmth can be attributed to sea surface temperature anomalies in both the north and equatorial Pacific Ocean. The North Pacific experienced cooler than normal water temperatures which helped intensify and re-position the Aleutian low pressure system further to the east, when compared to normal. At the same time, sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Alaska and along much of the west coast of North America were well above normal. The second contributing factor was the development of an El Nino in the equatorial Pacific during the Spring of 2002. El Nino's form when water temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific are 2-4^o F above normal. The net result of an El Nino is to strengthen the upper level winds over the southern USA and in the process produce areas of persistent high pressure over western Canada.

As a result of a deeper than normal Aleutian low pressure system and high pressure over western Canada, warm air masses were consistently directed into Alaska from the North Pacific throughout the winter. Along with above normal temperatures, some regions were considerably wetter than normal as well: primarily the North Gulf Coast, Kenai Peninsula, and Kodiak.

During the second week of March, high pressure over British Colombia gave way to lower pressure while high pressure developed over the Bering Sea. This produced seasonal temperatures across the state during month of March.