High Wind in Alaska, December 3 to 5, 1997

Name: High Wind in Alaska, December 3 to 5, 1997
Start: 1997-12-03T18:00
End: 1997-12-05T03:00
Location: Alaska

December 3 to 5, 1997 · NWS AFC · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong 948mb low moved into the central Aleutians late Wednesday, through the Pribilofs early Thursday, finally weakening near Nunivak Island early Friday. finally weakening in a north northwest-south southeast line along the central North Gulf Coast early Friday.

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 948mb low moved into the central Aleutians late Wednesday, through the Pribilofs early Thursday, finally weakening near Nunivak Island early Friday. A moderate front elongated eastward ahead of the storm...finally weakening in a north northwest-south southeast line along the central North Gulf Coast early Friday. Brisk southeasterly winds preceded the front. Strong westerly winds were reported along the southwest side of the storm. Gusts ranged from 50 to near 65 mph across the area...with strongest winds observed in the central Aleutians.

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Pribilof Islands

When: December 3, 6:00 PM AST to December 4, 9:00 AM AST
Where: Pribilof Islands forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph)

High Wind, Kuskokwim Delta

When: December 3, 9:00 PM AST to December 4, 9:00 AM AST
Where: Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph)

High Wind, Yukon Delta

When: December 3, 9:00 PM AST to December 4, 3:00 PM AST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph)

High Wind, Aleutian Islands

When: December 4, 6:00 AM AST to 3:00 PM AST
Where: Aleutian Islands forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph)

High Wind, Western Alaska Peninsula

When: December 4, 12:00 PM AST to December 5, 3:00 AM AST
Where: Western Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 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: 5620801, 5620802, 5620803, 5620804, 5620805.