High Wind, Taiya Inlet and Klondike Highway
- When
- March 15, 11:00 PM AST to March 17, 6:00 AM AST
- Where
- Taiya Inlet and Klondike Highway forecast zone
- Measured
- 46 kt (53 mph)
High Wind in Alaska, March 15 to 18, 1997
A deepening low in the northern Gulf of Alaska produced brisk north to northeast winds across much of the southern third of the mainland. On Sunday, gusts reached 68 mph at Dutch Harbor where water and dust devils were reported, 53 mph at the Anchorage International airport, 59 mph at the Valdez city site and 64 mph at the Valdez airport.
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 deepening low in the northern Gulf of Alaska produced brisk north to northeast winds across much of the southern third of the mainland. On Sunday, gusts reached 68 mph at Dutch Harbor where water and dust devils were reported, 53 mph at the Anchorage International airport, 59 mph at the Valdez city site and 64 mph at the Valdez airport. Winds from 40 to near 55 mph were also reported at Gulkana airport, Palmer, Dillingham, Cold Bay, Sand Point and Sparrevohn AFB on Sunday. Late Saturday...wind gusts reached 46 mph at the Kenai airport.
Event by event
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Eastern Chichagof Island
- When
- March 16, 12:00 PM AST to March 18, 3:00 PM AST
- Where
- Eastern Chichagof Island forecast zone
- Measured
- 46 kt (53 mph)
High Wind, Haines Borough and Lynn Canal
- When
- March 16, 12:00 PM AST to March 17, 12:00 PM AST
- Where
- Haines Borough and Lynn Canal forecast zone
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph)
High Wind, Salisbury Sound to Cape Fairweather Coastal Area
- When
- March 16, 12:00 PM AST to March 17, 12:00 PM AST
- Where
- Salisbury Sound to Cape Fairweather Coastal Area forecast zone
- Measured
- 59 kt (68 mph)
High Wind, Glacier Bay
- When
- March 17, 9:00 AM AST to March 18, 3:00 PM AST
- Where
- Glacier Bay forecast zone
- Measured
- 35 kt (40 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
- Cold in North Carolina, March 15, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Washington, March 15 to 19, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Washington, March 15 to 19, 1997
- Flooding in Minnesota, March 15 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 15 to 16, 1997
- Flooding in Louisiana, March 15 to 24, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Montana, March 15, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, March 15, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Washington, March 15, 1997
- Flood in Ohio, March 15, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 15 to 17, 1997
- High Wind in Oregon, March 15, 1997
More
Every storm in Alaska in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, March 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: 5588759, 5588761, 5588762, 5588763, 5588760.