High Wind, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns
- When
- January 11, 5:06 PM AST to January 12, 9:38 AM AST
- Where
- Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, January 11 to 12, 2001
A moderate to strong front, moving into Prince William Sound and the Kenai Peninsula from the southeast, was preceded by strong east winds and heavy snow at higher elevations. In zone 135 (Southeast Prince William Sound) - East wind gusts reached 60 + mph at Middleton Island just after 4:15 am Friday, peaking at 61 mph before frontal passage shut down 60+ mph gusts at 8:15 am.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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 to strong front, moving into Prince William Sound and the Kenai Peninsula from the southeast, was preceded by strong east winds and heavy snow at higher elevations. In zone 135 (Southeast Prince William Sound) - East wind gusts reached 60 + mph at Middleton Island just after 4:15 am Friday, peaking at 61 mph before frontal passage shut down 60+ mph gusts at 8:15 am. In zone 125 (Western PWS) - East wind gusts reached 60+ mph at Portage after 5:06 pm Thursday> Gusts peaked at 75 mph Friday morning between 1:44 and 1:53 am, finally diminishing below 60 mph after 9:38 am Friday. Heavy snow was also reported in the Portage Valley with spotters working with the Alaska Railroad recording 4' of new snow by 4 pm Friday from the storm. Local blizzard conditions in blowing snow were also reported in Turnagain Pass.
Event by event
2 high wind, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns
- When
- January 11, 6:15 PM AST to January 12, 4:00 PM AST
- Where
- Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
High Wind, Sern P.W. Snd
- When
- January 12, 4:15 AM AST to 8:15 AM AST
- Where
- Sern P.W. Snd forecast zone
- Measured
- 53 kt (61 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.
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flooding in California, January 11, 2001
- Dense Fog in Oklahoma, January 11, 2001
- Flood in California, January 11, 2001
- Dense Fog in Texas, January 11, 2001
- Winter Storm in Arizona, January 11 to 12, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 11 to 12, 2001
- High Surf in Hawaii, January 11 to 14, 2001
- Winter Storm in Colorado, January 11 to 13, 2001
- Frost and Freeze in Florida, January 11, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, January 11, 2001
- Winter Storm in Utah, January 11 to 13, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 11 to 12, 2001
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 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: 5229327, 5229326, 5229328.