High Wind in Alaska, March 23 to 26, 1999

Another low and front, approaching the western Aleutians from the north Pacific Tuesday, brought strong winds to the Aleutians, Alaska Peninsula and southwest coastal areas. Although pre-frontal wind gusts were not impressive, by Alaskan standards and those set by recent storms, strong westerly winds were again reported in the southwest quadrant of the storm. These strong westerly winds again pummelled the Aleutians. The storm moved just west of Adak late Tuesday and to 150 miles east of Saint Paul Island Wednesday at 3pm.Adjusted wind gusts reached 78 mph at Shemya between 4:55pm and 5:20pm Tuesday. At Adak, the 'backside' ASOS adjusted winds peaked at 81 mph between 3 and 4am Wednesday. Wind gusts finally diminished below 40 mph at about 3am Friday.At Cold Bay, along the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula, prefrontal wind gusts reached 67 mph between 6 and 7 pm Tuesday.Wind gusts at Cape Newenham, along the border of Bristol Bay and the Kuskokwim Delta, reached 61 mph around midday Wednesday.Winds reached 41 mph at the remote Booth Lake site on Kodiak Island at 11am Wednesday and adjusted ASOS winds at the Kodiak airport reached 52 mph between 1pm and 3pm. Frontal passage and rapidly diminishing winds occurred at Booth Lake close to 5pm Wednesday. Winds at the Kodiak airport diminished under 40 mph at 4pm, as a frontal low formed southeast of the station.Wind gusts at the Portage ASOS reached 97 mph Wednesday between 11pm and midnight and did not diminish below 40 mph until 9am Thursday. Strong southeast flow aloft also produced another 2 feet of snow on the upper portion of Mount Alyeska, however precipitation was mainly rain near sea level around Turnagain Arm and along the Kenai Peninsula.East and southeast wind gusts reached an adjusted 58 mph at the Middleton Island AWOS from 9am Thursday to 9am Friday.