High Wind in Alaska, December 15 to 17, 1998

Name: High Wind in Alaska, December 15 to 17, 1998
Start: 1998-12-15T06:00
End: 1998-12-17T06:00
Location: Alaska

December 15 to 17, 1998 · NWS AFC · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A moderate frontal system moved into the Central Aleutians late Monday then into the extreme east-central Bering Sea midday Wednesday. Preceding this front, brisk southeasterly winds were reported.

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 moderate frontal system moved into the Central Aleutians late Monday then into the extreme east-central Bering Sea midday Wednesday. Preceding this front, brisk southeasterly winds were reported. Gusts of 59 mph were recorded at Saint George Island in the Pribilofs while winds reached 53 mph at Dutch Harbor. Wind gusts of 66 mph were recorded at Cape Romanzof and Cape Newenham.

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Aleutian Islands

When: December 15, 6:00 AM AST to December 16, 9:00 AM AST
Where: Aleutian Islands forecast zone
Measured: 46 kt (53 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Pribilof Islands

When: December 15, 3:00 PM AST to December 16, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Pribilof Islands forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Bristol Bay Coastal

When: December 16, 9:00 AM AST to December 17, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Bristol Bay Coastal forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Kuskokwim Delta

When: December 16, 9:00 AM AST to December 17, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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, December 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: 5670694, 5670695, 5670696, 5670697.