Alaska, 1997

High Wind in Alaska, March 31, 1997

March 31, 1997 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A moderate front just east of the Komandorskiye Islands moved slowly east toward the southwest coast of the State late Wednesday and early Thursday. Brisk southerly winds gusted from 40 to 50 mph at many exposed areas in advance of the front.

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 AFC wrote it up.

A moderate front just east of the Komandorskiye Islands moved slowly east toward the southwest coast of the State late Wednesday and early Thursday. Brisk southerly winds gusted from 40 to 50 mph at many exposed areas in advance of the front. Blizzard conditions were observed along the southwest coast of the mainland. Near Chevak, a group of 24 villagers out on snowmachines were temporarily lost due to "whiteout" conditions.

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Aleutians

When
March 31, 12:00 PM AST to 11:59 PM AST
Where
Eastern Aleutians forecast zone
Measured
43 kt (49 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, 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: 5588770.