High Wind in Alaska, November 12 to 15, 1997

Name: High Wind in Alaska, November 12 to 15, 1997
Start: 1997-11-12T18:00
End: 1997-11-15T00:00
Location: Alaska

November 12 to 15, 1997 · NWS AFC · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

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 very strong 964mb low moved across the extreme western Aleutians into the central Bering Sea from late Wednesday through Friday, when it finally began to weaken. Strong southeasterly winds preceded the front associated with this storm. Additionally brisk southwesterly winds were observed along the "back side " of the storm. Gusts reached close to 70 mph across the Aleutians in advance of the front and were gusting to 45 mph along the "back side" of the low. Wind gusts reached 50 to 60 mph in advance of the front across the western Alaska Peninsula, the Pribilofs and the immediate coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Very strong northwesterly winds were observed along the southwest back side of the low, as cold arctic air moved seaward into the Bering from Russia. Ship reports indicated sustained winds of 75 mph on the back side of the low.

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Western Alaska Peninsula

When: November 12, 6:00 PM AST to November 14, 6:00 PM AST
Where: Western Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)

High Wind, Aleutian Islands

When: November 13, 6:00 PM AST to November 14, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Aleutian Islands forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)

High Wind, Pribilof Islands

When: November 14, 12:00 AM AST to 6:00 PM AST
Where: Pribilof Islands forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)

High Wind, Yukon Delta

When: November 14, 12:00 AM AST to November 15, 12:00 AM AST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 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, November 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: 5620679, 5620681, 5620680, 5620682.