High Wind in Alaska, May 13 to 14, 1997

Name: High Wind in Alaska, May 13 to 14, 1997
Start: 1997-05-13T13:00
End: 1997-05-14T19:30
Location: Alaska

May 13 to 14, 1997 · NWS AFC · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A moderate low and front moved through the central Aleutians late Monday and early Tuesday. with the front in an arc through Emmonak and just east of Port Heiden.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 low and front moved through the central Aleutians late Monday and early Tuesday. By 4am Wednesday, the low had reached a 990mb center and was located between Saint Matthew Island and Nunivak Island...with the front in an arc through Emmonak and just east of Port Heiden. Brisk southeast winds were observed in advance of the front. Brisk westerly winds were also observed south of the low center. By 4pm Wednesday the low had begun to weaken near Emmonak with the front extending in a large arc through Galena A.F.B. and into Resurrection Bay. Wind gusts reached 48 mph in advance of the front at 1:12 pm Tuesday at Cold Bay...however even stronger gusts reached 54 mph from the west at 12:22 pm Wednesday on the south side of the low. On the south side of the low on Tuesday...wind gusts reached 48 mph at Saint Paul from 4am to 2pm, 53 mph at Cape Newenham between 5:30 am and 6:00 pm, and 41 mph at Mekoryuk (on Nunivak Island) between 4 pm and 7:30 pm. On Wednesday, wind gusts reached 43 mph at King Salmon.

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Western Alaska Peninsula

When: May 13, 1:00 PM AST to May 14, 1:00 PM AST
Where: Western Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 47 kt (54 mph)

High Wind, St. Paul Island

When: May 14, 4:00 AM AST to 2:00 PM AST
Where: St. Paul Island forecast zone
Measured: 42 kt (48 mph)

High Wind, Bristol Bay Coastal

When: May 14, 5:30 AM AST to 6:00 PM AST
Where: Bristol Bay Coastal forecast zone
Measured: 46 kt (53 mph)

High Wind, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

When: May 14, 4:00 PM AST to 7:30 PM AST
Where: Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Measured: 36 kt (41 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, May 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: 5601430, 5601431, 5601433, 5601432.