Alaska, 1998

High Wind in Alaska, April 25 to 28, 1998

April 25 to 28, 1998 · NWS AFC · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Brisk southerly winds preceded a vigorous front, associated with a major Bering Sea low. The southerly winds gusted from 40 to locally near 60 mph across the southwest coast of Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutians.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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.

Brisk southerly winds preceded a vigorous front, associated with a major Bering Sea low. The southerly winds gusted from 40 to locally near 60 mph across the southwest coast of Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutians. South to southeast winds gusting from 40 to locally near 70 mph were also reported through Alaska Range passes into the Kuskokwim Valley, through channelled areas adjacent to Turnagain Arm (including the Anchorage hillside and areas adjacent to the Knik River around Palmer), around Prince William Sound and in a few areas of the Copper River Basin. Brisk southwesterly winds gusting up to 55 mph developed along the 'back' side of the low...moving into the Kuskokwim Delta Sunday night and continuing into Monday evening as the storm moved northward through the Bering Strait and began to weaken.

Event by event

9 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Aleutian Islands

When
April 25, 12:00 PM AST to April 26, 6:00 PM AST
Where
Aleutian Islands forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)

High Wind, Western Alaska Peninsula

When
April 26, 12:00 PM AST to April 28, 9:00 AM AST
Where
Western Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured
40 kt (46 mph)

High Wind, Kuskokwim Delta

When
April 26, 12:00 PM AST to April 27, 10:00 PM AST
Where
Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)

High Wind, Bristol Bay Coastal

When
April 26, 12:00 PM AST to April 27, 12:00 PM AST
Where
Bristol Bay Coastal forecast zone
Measured
40 kt (46 mph)

High Wind, Cook Inlet

When
April 26, 6:00 PM AST to April 28, 12:00 PM AST
Where
Cook Inlet forecast zone
Measured
59 kt (68 mph)

High Wind, Kuskokwim Valley

When
April 27, 12:00 AM AST to 6:00 PM AST
Where
Kuskokwim Valley forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)

High Wind, Susitna Valley

When
April 27, 12:00 AM AST to April 28, 8:00 AM AST
Where
Susitna Valley forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)

High Wind, Copper River Basin

When
April 27, 12:00 AM AST to April 28, 10:00 PM AST
Where
Copper River Basin forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)

High Wind, Central Gulf Coast

When
April 27, 12:00 AM AST to April 28, 10:00 PM AST
Where
Central Gulf Coast forecast zone
Measured
54 kt (62 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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5629489, 5629490, 5629491, 5629492, 5629494, 5629493, 5629495, 5629496, 5629497.