High Wind, Western Aleutians
- When
- February 17, 7:00 PM AST to February 18, 6:00 PM AST
- Where
- Western Aleutians forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
High Wind in Alaska, February 17 to 18, 2001
A strong front, preceded by strong east and southeast winds, moved northeast through the western and central Aleutians Saturday and Sunday, weakening thereafter. Prefrontal winds of 60+ mph were first recorded at Shemya around 7 pm Saturday, peaking at 70 mph there between 9:30 and 11 pm Saturday.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 strong front, preceded by strong east and southeast winds, moved northeast through the western and central Aleutians Saturday and Sunday, weakening thereafter. The associated low, at least 955 mbs, curved north then northwest around Attu, from the northwest Pacific, into the extreme southwest Bering Sunday, bringing locally strong southwest winds to extreme western parts of the Aleutians Sunday.Prefrontal winds of 60+ mph were first recorded at Shemya around 7 pm Saturday, peaking at 70 mph there between 9:30 and 11 pm Saturday. Post frontal winds were still gusting in excess of 60 mph around Shemya Sunday morning and into Sunday afternoon. Prefrontal winds were accompanied by frequent blizzard conditions and heavy snow between 5 pm and 10:30 pm Saturday. Brief freezing rain was also reported around 11 pm Saturday. Winter weather conditions markedly improved early Sunday as milder air at ground/sea level moved into the area behind the front.
Event by event
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Avalanche in Washington, February 17, 2001
- Flooding in Texas, February 17 to 28, 2001
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, February 17, 2001
- Extreme Cold in Maine, February 17 to 18, 2001
- Extreme Cold in New Hampshire, February 17 to 18, 2001
- Extreme Cold in Maine, February 17 to 18, 2001
- Strong Wind in Rhode Island, February 17, 2001
- Dense Fog in Florida, February 17, 2001
- Strong Wind in Connecticut, February 17, 2001
- High Wind in New Jersey, February 17, 2001
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 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: 5228533.