Alaska, 2000

High Wind in Alaska, October 20 to 22, 2000

October 20 to 22, 2000 · NWS AFC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A deepening low 180 miles south southwest of Dutch Harbor at 4pm ADT Friday moved to 90 miles southeast of Chignik as a 970 mb low at 4pm ADT Saturday. The low then moved northeast toward Middleton Island, weakening to a 988 mb center 60 miles southwest of Middleton Island at 10 pm ADT Sunday.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 deepening low 180 miles south southwest of Dutch Harbor at 4pm ADT Friday moved to 90 miles southeast of Chignik as a 970 mb low at 4pm ADT Saturday. The low then moved northeast toward Middleton Island, weakening to a 988 mb center 60 miles southwest of Middleton Island at 10 pm ADT Sunday. Locally, easterly winds near 60 mph were observed in advance of the front associated with this low, which was located just south of Dutch Harbor at 4 pm ADT Friday and just south of Middleton Island at 4pm ADT Saturday. Very strong north winds, however, were reported on the northwest side of the low Friday and Saturday...slowly diminishing Sunday.At Atka, northerly wind gusts above 60 mph began on Friday with the 1:55 pm ADT observation, peaking at 97 mph several hours later between 3:30 pm ADT and 4:00 pm ADT. The last reported wind gust above 60 mph was recorded just before 1 am ADT Saturday.Further east, around Dutch Harbor, easterly, pre-frontal winds briefly reached 61 mph with the 2 am ADT Friday Spit observation. This was the peak wind at the site Friday, however as the low moved east of the area, very strong northerly winds began. By 2:30 am ADT Saturday, peak winds above 60 mph were frequently reaching 89 mph several times at the Dutch Harbor Spit. The strongest wind, however, was a gust of 98 mph just before 12:30 am ADT Sunday. The last strong wind gust of 60+ mph occurred just before 4pm ADT Sunday.Along the north-central Gulf Coast, peak winds of 67 mph were recorded at Middleton Island between noon and 6pm ADT Saturday in advance of the front. Winds diminished rapidly there as the front moved by.

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Aleutian Islands

When
October 20, 9:00 AM AST to October 22, 3:00 PM AST
Where
Aleutian Islands forecast zone
Measured
77 kt (89 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Central Gulf Coast

When
October 21, 12:00 PM AST to October 22, 9:00 AM AST
Where
Central Gulf Coast forecast zone
Measured
58 kt (67 mph)
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, October 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: 5156231, 5156232.