High Wind in Alaska, October 12 to 15, 2000

An intense low and its associated front produced strong winds across the Aleutians, Alaska Peninsula and southwest Alaskan Coast for almost a 3 day period. Strong southerly winds initially preceded the front, however very strong westerly winds, that developed along the back side of the storm, hammered the eastern Aleutians Friday and Saturday.The storm, initially located near the Komandorskiye Islands of Russia early Thursday, deepened to around 950 mbs as it moved into the southwest Bering Sea. By 4 am ADT Friday, the storm center was located very close to the only Bering Sea buoy in existence...buoy 46035...and was still estimated at close to a 950 mb central pressure. Strong west to northwest winds along the back side of the storm accompanied it as it headed eastward and began to weaken. By late Saturday morning, the low had weakened to 972 mbs 150 miles north northwest of Cold Bay. Not until late Sunday did wind gusts finally diminish below 60 mph along the Alaska Peninsula and extreme eastern Aleutians, as the low weakened to a 980 mb center 90 miles south of Kodiak at 4pm ADT Sunday.Prefrontal southerly winds peaked at 63 mph right around frontal passage at Shemya just after 6 am ADT Thursday. Wind gusts above 60 mph began at this extreme western Aleutian site around 5 am ADT Thursday. Gusts of 60 mph or higher lasted until 7 am the same day, a relatively short duration event there for the strong winds.Around Dutch Harbor, prefrontal winds were not particularly high, however post frontal westerlies were. At the Captain's Bay site, winds above 60 mph began just prior to 2 am ADT Friday. Peak winds there reached 89 mph from the southwest between 7:30 pm ADT and 8:00 pm ADT Friday and 93 mph just before 4 pm ADT Saturday. Peak winds Sunday reached 68 mph just after midnight, finally diminishing below 60 mph after 5:30 pm ADT Sunday. At the Dutch Harbor Spit site, where winds are greatly accelerated coming down Mount Balleyhoo, gusts reached 89 mph between 10:30 and 11:00 am ADT Friday, an incredible 100 mph between 3 and 3:30 am ADT Saturday. Between 1:30 am and 2:00 am ADT Sunday, westerly wind gusts at the Spit were still hitting 70 mph. On Monday wind gusts of 73 mph were recorded on the 9am ADT observation...with winds at the site finally diminishing under 60 mph by 2 pm ADT that afternoon.