High Wind in Alaska, November 2 to 5, 1996

A very intense northwest Pacific storm moved into the extreme southwest Bering Sea...just northwest of Attu...Saturday morning. The storm...depicted on Alaska Region surface maps...reached a depth of at least 954mbs 400 miles north of Adak at 10 am Sunday with its front in a long arc just south of Saint Lawrence Island to near Hooper Bay and Cold Bay. The low began to slowly weaken and drift east...reaching Hazen Bay as a 969mb center at 9pm Monday. The low then moved inland...weakening more rapidly in the western interior of the state Tuesday afternoon. The storm caused strong winds of between 40 and 50 mph at many southwest coastal areas and across the Pribilofs. HOWEVER..an AMAZING 50 FOOT SEA and 85 MPH gust was reported at buoy 35 in the southcentral Bering Sea on Sunday at 10 am. The buoy picked up the very strong southwesterly winds that were evident along the south semicircle of the storm. Damage from high seas was reported at Saint Paul (where wind gusts reached 64 mph) to a city building, breakwater, road and north dock. A coastal flood watch and warning were posted along the southwest coast...however high water remained out in the Bering and no reports of coastal flooding were received.