High Wind in Alaska, September 6 to 7, 1997

Name: High Wind in Alaska, September 6 to 7, 1997
Start: 1997-09-06T00:00
End: 1997-09-07T15:00
Location: Alaska

September 6 to 7, 1997 · NWS AFC · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

then up the chain and into the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula Sunday morning where it began to weaken and drift east. This system was actually the remains of ex-typhoon "Bing" (from the southwestern Pacific) and was preceded by southeasterly winds ranging from near 40 to just above 60 mph at many areas.

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.

An intense 974mb low moved into the central Aleutians late Friday...then up the chain and into the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula Sunday morning where it began to weaken and drift east. This system was actually the remains of ex-typhoon "Bing" (from the southwestern Pacific) and was preceded by southeasterly winds ranging from near 40 to just above 60 mph at many areas. Strongest winds were 61 mph gusts reported at both Cold Bay and at the Portage ASOS which is adjacent to the Portage Glacier (both areas experience stronger than gradient winds due to channeling by terrain). Wind gusts reached close to 40 mph across Kodiak Island and sections of the central north Gulf of Alaska coast in advance of the system. Strong northwesterly winds were also reported along the "back" side of the low where gusts reached close to 45 mph.

Event by event

6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Western Alaska Peninsula

When: September 6, 12:00 AM AST to 9:00 AM AST
Where: Western Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)

High Wind, Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula

When: September 6, 12:00 PM AST to 11:59 PM AST
Where: Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph)

High Wind, Eastern Aleutians

When: September 6, 12:00 PM AST to September 7, 12:00 PM AST
Where: Eastern Aleutians forecast zone
Measured: 38 kt (44 mph)

High Wind, Bristol Bay Coastal

When: September 6, 12:00 PM AST to September 7, 3:00 AM AST
Where: Bristol Bay Coastal forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph)

High Wind, Central Gulf Coast

When: September 7, 12:00 AM AST to 3:00 PM AST
Where: Central Gulf Coast forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph)

High Wind, Cook Inlet-Susitna Valley

When: September 7, 12:00 AM AST to 9:00 AM AST
Where: Cook Inlet-Susitna Valley forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 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, September 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: 5619464, 5618020, 5618021, 5619463, 5618022, 5619465.