High Wind in Alaska, December 21, 1997

Name: High Wind in Alaska, December 21, 1997
Start: 1997-12-21T00:00
End: 1997-12-21T23:59
Location: Alaska

December 21, 1997 · NWS AFC · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong 958 mb low moved from the northcentral Pacific toward Sand Point where it began to weaken late Sunday. making landfall late Sunday.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 strong 958 mb low moved from the northcentral Pacific toward Sand Point where it began to weaken late Sunday. The front associated with the storm elongated northeastward through the Gulf of Alaska...making landfall late Sunday. Brisk northeasterly winds preceded the front...reaching speeds of 46 mph across many areas adjacent to the Gulf of Alaska and along the western Alaska Peninsula.

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Central Gulf Coast

When: December 21, 12:00 AM AST to 11:59 PM AST
Where: Central Gulf Coast forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 mph)

High Wind, Susitna Valley

When: December 21, 12:00 AM AST to 11:59 PM AST
Where: Susitna Valley forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 mph)

High Wind, Cook Inlet

When: December 21, 12:00 AM AST to 11:59 PM AST
Where: Cook Inlet forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 mph)

High Wind, Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula

When: December 21, 12:00 AM AST to 11:59 PM AST
Where: Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 mph)

High Wind, Western Alaska Peninsula

When: December 21, 12:00 AM AST to 11:59 PM AST
Where: Western Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 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

Every storm in Alaska in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5620815, 5620816, 5620817, 5620818, 5620819.