High Wind in Alaska, April 16 to 18, 1998

Name: High Wind in Alaska, April 16 to 18, 1998
Start: 1998-04-16T21:15
End: 1998-04-18T06:00
Location: Alaska

April 16 to 18, 1998 · NWS AJK · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A slow moving low pressure system in the southern Gulf of Alaska brought strong winds to the southern portions of the panhandle for over 36 hours. The peak wind speed recorded both at the Hydaberg Seaplane Base and the Ketchikan airport was 47 kt.

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 AJK wrote it up.

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Southern Southeast Alaska Ernest Sound to Dixon Entrance

When: April 16, 9:15 PM AST to April 18, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Southern Southeast Alaska Ernest Sound to Dixon Entrance forecast zone
Measured: 47 kt (54 mph)

High Wind, Dixon Entrance to Cape Decision-Coastal Area

When: April 16, 9:15 PM AST to April 18, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Dixon Entrance to Cape Decision-Coastal Area forecast zone
Measured: 47 kt (54 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 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, April 1998

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: 5637288, 5637289.