Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, November 19 to 20, 1997

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, November 19 to 20, 1997
Start: 1997-11-19T20:14
End: 1997-11-20T04:34
Location: Alaska

November 19 to 20, 1997 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A large storm moved slowly north and east over the Bering Sea, bringing High Wind and Blizzard Conditions to St. Lawrence Island.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 AFG wrote it up.

A large storm moved slowly north and east over the Bering Sea, bringing High Wind and Blizzard Conditions to St. Lawrence Island. Max Winds: Gambell 46 kt sustained, 53 kt gust. Both Gambell and Savoonga received Blizzard conditions.

Event by event

1 high wind, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast

When: November 19, 8:14 PM AST to November 20, 4:00 AM AST
Where: St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)

Blizzard, St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast

When: November 19, 9:00 PM AST to November 20, 4:34 AM AST
Where: St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast forecast zone

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

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: 5620838, 5620837.