Alaska, 1997

High Wind in Alaska, December 18, 1997

December 18, 1997 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Strong stationary high pressure over Canada and a large storm moving from the Gulf of Alaska northwest to the southwest coast of Alaska, produced strong east winds at Big Delta, Max winds: 35 kt sustained, gust 46 kt.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

Strong stationary high pressure over Canada and a large storm moving from the Gulf of Alaska northwest to the southwest coast of Alaska, produced strong east winds at Big Delta, Max winds: 35 kt sustained, gust 46 kt.

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Tanana Valley

When
December 18, 5:00 AM AST to 11:50 PM AST
Where
Tanana Valley forecast zone
Measured
46 kt (53 mph)

What these are

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 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 1997

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: 5620280.