High Wind in Alaska, March 27 to 30, 1998

Name: High Wind in Alaska, March 27 to 30, 1998
Start: 1998-03-27T00:00
End: 1998-03-30T18:00
Location: Alaska

March 27 to 30, 1998 · NWS AFC · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

weakening to 984mbs across the extreme northeast corner of Bristol Bay very early Sunday. The low then reformed eastward into the Gulf of Alaska Sunday, finally weakening to a 1007mb center just west of Cape Spencer in Southeast Alaska late Monday.

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 strong 969mb low moved across the central Aleutians late Friday and early Saturday...weakening to 984mbs across the extreme northeast corner of Bristol Bay very early Sunday. The low then reformed eastward into the Gulf of Alaska Sunday, finally weakening to a 1007mb center just west of Cape Spencer in Southeast Alaska late Monday. While strong easterly winds to 50 mph preceded the storm, much stronger northwesterly winds were reported along the "back" side of the system...reaching speeds of 73 mph across the Aleutians and 58 mph across the Alaska Peninsula. Gusts from 55 to near 60 mph were recorded around Kodiak Island with gusts from 40 to 45 mph reported in parts of Prince William Sound on Sunday.

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Aleutian Islands

When: March 27, 12:00 AM AST to March 29, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Aleutian Islands forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)

High Wind, Western Alaska Peninsula

When: March 27, 12:00 PM AST to March 29, 12:00 PM AST
Where: Western Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)

High Wind, Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula

When: March 28, 12:00 PM AST to March 30, 9:00 AM AST
Where: Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)

High Wind, Central Gulf Coast

When: March 29, 6:00 PM AST to March 30, 6:00 PM AST
Where: Central Gulf Coast forecast zone
Measured: 38 kt (44 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, March 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: 5631068, 5631069, 5631070, 5631071.