High Wind in Alaska, May 17 to 19, 1997

Name: High Wind in Alaska, May 17 to 19, 1997
Start: 1997-05-17T21:00
End: 1997-05-19T18:00
Location: Alaska

May 17 to 19, 1997 · NWS AFC · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A major north Pacific low moved by Atka Island with at least a 970 mb central pressure early Sunday. weakening a bit.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 major north Pacific low moved by Atka Island with at least a 970 mb central pressure early Sunday. The low then continued north through the Bering Sea...to 180 miles west of Saint Matthew Island Monday morning...weakening a bit. The front elongated both north and east from the center...extending in a wide arc through the Chukotsk Peninsula of Russia through the Seward Peninsula and into extreme eastern Bristol Bay Monday morning. Strong southeasterly winds preceded the front. Wind gusts reached 45 mph at King Salmon and along the Anchorage Upper Hillside Monday. Strong westerly winds were also observed around the south and west sides of the low. By 4am Tuesday...the low had weakened to 996 mbs near Cape Navarin, Russia and the front had all but dissipated across the western Alaska mainland. Cold Bay recorded gusts of 76 mph early Sunday morning.

Event by event

6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Aleutians

When: May 17, 9:00 PM AST to May 18, 10:00 PM AST
Where: Eastern Aleutians forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)

High Wind, Western Alaska Peninsula

When: May 18, 4:00 AM AST to May 19, 12:00 AM AST
Where: Western Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph)

High Wind, St. Paul Island

When: May 18, 6:00 AM AST to May 19, 12:00 PM AST
Where: St. Paul Island forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph)

High Wind, Bristol Bay Coastal

When: May 18, 6:00 PM AST to May 19, 10:00 AM AST
Where: Bristol Bay Coastal forecast zone
Measured: 47 kt (54 mph)

High Wind, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

When: May 18, 6:00 PM AST to May 19, 6:00 PM AST
Where: Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Measured: 47 kt (54 mph)

High Wind, Cook Inlet-Susitna Valley

When: May 18, 6:00 PM AST to May 19, 6:00 PM AST
Where: Cook Inlet-Susitna Valley forecast zone
Measured: 41 kt (47 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: 5601438, 5601440, 5601439, 5601441, 5601442, 5601443.