High Wind and Cold in Alaska, December 10 to 12, 1999

Name: High Wind and Cold in Alaska, December 10 to 12, 1999
Start: 1999-12-10T00:00
End: 1999-12-12T23:00
Location: Alaska

December 10 to 12, 1999 · NWS AFC · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Brisk northerly winds brought wind chills down to 65 below across many areas of the Kuskokwim Delta and Bristol Bay. Brisk northeast winds, gusting to 50 mph locally around Cantwell and out of the passes of the western Alaska Range Saturday and Sunday, also brought wind chills down as low as 65 below.

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.

Brisk northerly winds brought wind chills down to 65 below across many areas of the Kuskokwim Delta and Bristol Bay. Local wind chills to 65 below were also observed along higher terrain of the Kuskokwim Valley.Brisk northeast winds, gusting to 50 mph locally around Cantwell and out of the passes of the western Alaska Range Saturday and Sunday, also brought wind chills down as low as 65 below. Local winds around Whittier reached 63 mph Sunday evening.

Event by event

5 cold/wind chill, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Kuskokwim Delta

When: December 10, 12:00 AM AST to December 12, 11:00 PM AST
Where: Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill, Bristol Bay Coastal

When: December 11, 12:00 AM AST to December 12, 11:00 PM AST
Where: Bristol Bay Coastal forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill, Cook Inlet

When: December 11, 12:00 PM AST to December 12, 11:00 PM AST
Where: Cook Inlet forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Cold/Wind Chill, Susitna Valley

When: December 11, 12:00 PM AST to December 12, 11:00 PM AST
Where: Susitna Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Cold/Wind Chill, Kuskokwim Valley

When: December 12, 12:00 AM AST to 11:00 PM AST
Where: Kuskokwim Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

High Wind, Central Gulf Coast

When: December 12, 12:00 AM AST to 11:00 PM AST
Where: Central Gulf Coast forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill: Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
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 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, December 1999

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: 5721639, 5721640, 5721642, 5721643, 5721641, 5721644.