High Wind, Deltana and Tanana
- When
- December 20, 8:53 AM AST to December 21, 8:53 AM AST
- Where
- Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
- Measured
- 48 kt (55 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 20 to 21, 2001
A 953 mb Low pressure center just southwest of Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula the morning of the 20th moved to the southwest interior of Alaska on the morning of the 21st, and weakened. A ridge of High pressure remained fairly strong over the Copper River Basin and Canada, creating a strong pressure gradient across the Tanana Valley, producing strong winds in the Deltana-Tanana Flats zone.
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 AFG wrote it up.
A 953 mb Low pressure center just southwest of Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula the morning of the 20th moved to the southwest interior of Alaska on the morning of the 21st, and weakened. A ridge of High pressure remained fairly strong over the Copper River Basin and Canada, creating a strong pressure gradient across the Tanana Valley, producing strong winds in the Deltana-Tanana Flats zone. Blizzard conditions occurred at Cape Romanzof, and High Winds with gusts to 55 mph were reported at the Delta Junction ASOS.
Event by event
1 high wind, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Yukon Delta
- When
- December 20, 12:55 PM AST to December 21, 11:55 PM AST
- Where
- Yukon Delta forecast zone
- 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.
- Blizzard
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado and Hail in California, December 20, 2001
- Heavy Snow in California, December 20, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Maine, December 20 to 21, 2001
- Winter Weather in California, December 20 to 21, 2001
- Strong Wind in West Virginia, December 20, 2001
- Winter Storm and High Wind in Alaska, December 20 to 21, 2001
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, December 20, 2001
- Winter Storm in Maine, December 20 to 21, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 20 to 21, 2001
- High Wind in Alaska, December 20, 2001
- High Wind in Virginia, December 20, 2001
- Strong Wind in Virginia, December 20, 2001
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2001
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: 5274398, 5274397.