High Wind in Alaska, December 11 to 13, 2000

A strong 948 mb low 270 miles southwest of Shemya early Monday afternoon drifted slowly north into the southwestern Bering Sea, with little change in intensity. By late Wednesday the center was located 180 miles north northwest of Shemya. Thereafter, the low weakened rapidly and remained nearly stationary. The center, in a much weakened form as a 980 mb low, moved just southeast of Shemya very early Saturday...nearly 5 days after its appearance in the western Aleutian area. Initially sustained winds were reported at 60 mph or higher around the south and west sides of the storm.The front associated with this storm, moved northeast toward the western Aleutians Monday, elongating east and north into an arc must north of the southern Bering buoy (46035), into the Pribilofs to near Dutch Harbor at 9 am Tuesday. By 9 am Wednesday, the front extended in a broad arc from Cape Navarin, Russia, to Cape Romanzof into the southern third of Kodiak Island...in a weakened form. The front dissipated during the next 12 hours, no longer preceded by strong winds. Initially strong easterly winds were observed in advance of the front.Across the western Aleutians, sparse reports picked up at least 53 mph winds Monday afternoon at Adak, several hours prior to frontal passage. Gusts at Shemya, out at the far western extremity of the Aleutian Chain, were recorded at 68 mph Monday evening between 7 and 8 pm Monday. Winds were accompanied by a driving mix of snow and rain, briefly accompanied by blizzard conditions at both Adak and Shemya. Winds above 60 mph began in the western Aleutians just after noon Monday. Across the eastern Aleutians, peak winds above 60 mph were first reported at the Dutch Harbor Spit just after 3 am Tuesday. Peak winds at the site reached 70 mph between 3:30 and 4:00 am Tuesday...several hours prior to frontal passage.Pribilof Island reports at Saint Paul and Saint George pegged peak winds from the southeast at 54 mph during Tuesday morning, several hours prior to frontal passage. Undoubtedly, peak winds across other parts of the zone reached or exceeded 60 mph. Peak winds died just prior to frontal passage in the late morning.Across the Alaska Peninsula, peak winds above 60 mph began just after 2 am Tuesday. Gusts of 75 mph were reported at Cold Bay between 9 and 10 am Tuesday, several hours prior to actual frontal passage. Western capes of Bristol Bay also recorded strong southeast pre-frontal winds. Gusts of 60 mph were first recorded at Cape Newenham on the 4:55 am observation, Tuesday. However, observations at the site were missing since just before 9 pm Monday until the 4:55 am report. Peak winds at the site reached 64 mph just after noon Tuesday. The Togiak AWOS also reported strong southeast winds, peaking at 55 mph between 9:15 and 9:45 am Tuesday and 63 mph between 11:55 am and 12:35 pm Tuesday.Wind reports first reached 60+ mph in the Kodiak Island zone between 4 pm and 5 pm Tuesday at Sitkinak. Winds at the site gusted as high as 68 mph between 5 and 6 pm Tuesday. Frontal passage marked a quick wind shift to the south and rapid diminishing of the winds. Easterly winds at the Booth Lake site reached 47 mph late Tuesday. Strong winds were confined to the extreme south part of the Island, like affecting the communities of Akhiok and Old Harbor where no reports are readily available.