Name: High Wind in Alaska, December 16 to 17, 2000
Start: 2000-12-16T22:00
End: 2000-12-17T19:00
Location: Alaska

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 moderate low, moving toward the eastern Alaska Peninsula from the North Pacific Saturday, moved to Chignik at 3 am Sunday as a 963 mb center. The low then looped north northwest, weakening to 976 mbs just southwest of Bethel at 3 am Monday. The low dissipated as it moved northwestward thereafter.The front associated with the low was preceded by strong east winds.Across Kodiak Island, gusts at Sitkinak reached 100 mph between 10 and 11pm Saturday, several hours before frontal passage. Wind gusts of 70 mph were also reported during the first few hours of Sunday just after the frontal passage. Gusts diminished below 60 mph after 3 am Sunday.Winds at Booth Lake and Kodiak were well into the 50 mph range early Sunday just prior to frontal passage. Gusts at Augustine Island reached 71 mph at 8 am Sunday, diminishing below 60 mph an hour before frontal passage at 11 am Sunday.In the Matanuska Valley, gusty northeast winds briefly reached 62 mph around 10 am Sunday.Advisory winds in this area persisted for much longer.At the Portage ASOS, peak winds first reached 60 + mph just after 9 am Sunday, peaking at 64 mph between 10:30 and 11:00 am Sunday and 66 mph just before 7 pm Sunday. Wind gusts diminished below 60 mph after 7 pm Sunday as the front passed the station and winds shifted to the west.At Middleton Island, prefrontal southeast winds of 60 + mph were reported from 10 am Sunday to 3 pm Sunday. Peak winds reached 68 mph between noon and 1 pm. Winds at the Prince William Sound Science Center peaked at 59 mph Sunday in advance of the front.It was during this storm that the Coast Guard received a request to evacuate 5 remaining hunters on Montague Island, one of whom was supposedly running low on diabetic medication. 2 others were 6 days beyond their pickup date and were staying in a tent. The pickup plane was unable to get to the hunters due to weather. The Coast Guard CG-6028 landed and recovered the 2 hunters. The second set of three hunters were recovered a short time later. On scene weather was "Ceilings 200ft, Visibility 1NM, Winds 130/70kts, Breaking season beach 40ft".

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kodiak Peninsula

When: December 16, 10:00 PM AST to December 17, 11:00 AM AST
Where: Kodiak Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 87 kt (100 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns

When: December 17, 9:00 AM AST to 7:00 PM AST
Where: Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Matanuska Valley

When: December 17, 9:00 AM AST to 11:00 AM AST
Where: Matanuska Valley forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Sern P.W. Snd

When: December 17, 10:00 AM AST to 7:00 PM AST
Where: Sern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

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 2000 Every state in 2000 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, December 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: 5160455, 5160457, 5160458, 5160456.