Alaska, 2000

High Wind in Alaska, August 10 to 11, 2000

August 10 to 11, 2000 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A Low pressure center west of Wrangell Island moved east across the Chukchi Sea deepening to 989 mb 120 miles north of Barrow the afternoon of the 10th. The Low then proceeded east slowly and gradually weakened.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$7.7 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 AFG wrote it up.

A Low pressure center west of Wrangell Island moved east across the Chukchi Sea deepening to 989 mb 120 miles north of Barrow the afternoon of the 10th. The Low then proceeded east slowly and gradually weakened. A strong cold front accompanying the system moved across the western Arctic Coast late in the morning Aug 10 and reached the Canada Border by midnight August 10.Strongest winds reported:Wainwright ASOS 46 mph sustained, gust 59 mph (1500-1600 AST 10th)Barrow ASOS 54 mph sustained, peak wind 64 mph (1500-1700 AST 10th)Nuiqsut ASOS 44 mph sustained, peak wind 59 mph (2200 AST 10th)Deadhorse ASOS 39 mph sustained, peak wind 54 mph (2300 AST 10th)Barter Island (Kaktovik AWOS) 38 mph sustained, gust 54 mph (0700 AST 11th)In addition: Tug Cavalier (North of Point Franklin): max wind 69 mph sustained, gust 81 mphCrowley Maritime at the site of the former Naval Arctic Research Lab reported gusts to 75 mph.USFWS Staff home anemometer reported a peak gust of "70+ mph"Damage Estimates include: $7 million for a dredge which was damaged near Barrow. The dredge was ripped from its anchors and washed ashore, where it flooded. Major structural damage occurred to the starboard side of the hull. $700,000 for damage to residences, sturctures, and facilities across the North Slope Borough. Also, there was residential damage to the villages of Nuiqsut, Atqasuk, Wainwright and Kaktovik. The runway at Barter Island (Kaktovik) was partially under water for an unknown period of time.

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Arctic Slope Coastal

When
August 10, 12:00 PM AST to August 11, 8:00 AM AST
Where
Arctic Slope Coastal forecast zone
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Property damage
$7.7 million
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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, August 2000

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: 5170074.