High Wind in Alaska, January 17 to 18, 2001

Name: High Wind in Alaska, January 17 to 18, 2001
Start: 2001-01-17T01:00
End: 2001-01-18T04:15
Location: Alaska

January 17 to 18, 2001 · NWS AFC · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Gusts at Middleton Island first reached 60 mph just after 11 pm Wednesday, peaking at 69 mph between 1:35 and 1:55 am Thursday. Wind gusts at Portage of 60 + mph were reported from 1 am Wednesday until just before 5 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 moved north through Prince William Sound Wednesday around noon, followed by a windy, secondary trough late Wednesday evening.Peak winds reached 77 mph Wednesday at the Prince William Sound Science Center in Cordova.Gusts at Middleton Island first reached 60 mph just after 11 pm Wednesday, peaking at 69 mph between 1:35 and 1:55 am Thursday. Gusts diminished below 60 mph after 4:15 am Thursday.Wind gusts at Portage of 60 + mph were reported from 1 am Wednesday until just before 5 am. Peak winds reached 76 mph between 1am and 2 am.Along the Anchorage upper Hillside, gusts above 60 mph were reported at Glen Alps from 6 am to 2 pm Wednesday. Peak gusts reached 86 mph at the site between 10 and 11 am. At the upper elevation site near the old Nike base, peak winds of 128 mph were recorded between 6 am and 8 am with wind gusts diminishing below 60 mph after 10 am.

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns

When: January 17, 1:00 AM AST to 5:00 AM AST
Where: Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: January 17, 6:00 AM AST to 2:00 PM AST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured: 111 kt (128 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Sern P.W. Snd

When: January 17, 11:00 PM AST to January 18, 4:15 AM AST
Where: Sern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Measured: 67 kt (77 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

Every storm in Alaska in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5229337, 5229338, 5229336.