Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, January 25 to 26, 2001

Name: Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, January 25 to 26, 2001
Start: 2001-01-25T05:53
End: 2001-01-26T16:00
Location: Alaska

January 25 to 26, 2001 · NWS AFC · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

An intense 955 mb low crossed Unalaska Thursday morning, moving into the southeast Bering Sea later in the day. Another area of very strong winds developed on the south semicircle of the storm early Thursday.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $100,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

An intense 955 mb low crossed Unalaska Thursday morning, moving into the southeast Bering Sea later in the day. Thestorm began to slowly weaken off the southwest coast of the State Thursday night and Friday, beginning its demise near Saint Lawrence Island Saturday.A strong frontal system, preceding the storm, moved north and northeast through the Alaska Peninsula Thursday, beginning to weaken in a long arc from northwest Alaska through lower Cook Inlet and across northeast Kodiak Island where it began to slowly dissipate Friday.Very strong southeast winds preceded the front Thursday and Thursday night...with strong southeast winds becoming more localized in advance of the front Friday.Another area of very strong winds developed on the south semicircle of the storm early Thursday. This area of strong southwesterly winds rotated into the southeast semicircle of the storm by late Thursday morning...slowly diminishing across the southwestern part of the State Friday.Wind gusts as high as 135 mph were reported along the Alaska Peninsula (King Cove...just east of Cold Bay). Snows were heavy in the northwest and north Susitna Valley...exceeding 12 inches in 12 hours or less as called in by spotters in that area.Structural damage was reported due to the storm. Precautions were taken to move boats and planes to more protected areas in several locations. At Dutch Harbor (185) prefrontal, east southeast winds at airport briefly gusted 63 mph between 6:55 am and 7:15 am Thursday. The low passed the station between 10 and 11 am. Winds around the low center peaked at 102 mph in False Pass at 3:45 pm. Winds on the #back side' of the storm reached 60+ mph just after 12:55 pm Thursday, peaking at 74 mph between 3:55 pm and 4:35 pm Thursday. After 6:35 pm, 60+ mph wind gusts were no longer reported.Cold Bay (181) began 60+ southeast pre-frontal winds after 5:31 am, peaked at 78 mph between 11:53 am and 12:53 pm, diminished below 60 mph just after fropa after 3:53 pm Thursday. Several wind reports around King Cove were received, including a 113 mph wind around 7:59 am in the #low areas around the station and personnel housing of the King Cove Police Department and one report of 135 mph wind by Carol Wilson, who apparently monitors the weather from a higher ground location with southeast exposure. Chignik prefrontal peak 67 mph between 10:15 and 10:35 am Thursday.Port Heiden (161) between 11:15 am and 11:55 am Thursday peaked southeast at 67 mph (only 60+ mph wind).Togiak 60+ mph southeast winds from 2:15 pm through 5:35 pm Thursday, peaking at 68 mph between 5:55 and 6:15 pm.Cape Newenham peak 76 mph at 4:55 pm. Highest gusts at King Salmon airport were only 44 mph with stronger 67 mph winds in Naknek.Mekoryuk 60+ mph southeast winds from 7:55 pm to 9:35 pm Thursday, peak 63 mph between 8:35 and 8:55 pm.Hooper Bay brief east southeast gust 61 mph between 11:35 and 11:55 pm Thursday.Sitkinak (171) briefly reached 60 mph southeast winds between 7 and 8 pm Thursday.Glen Alps (101) 60+ mph from 11 pm Thursday to frontal passage 6 am Friday. Peak at least 63 mph between 4 and 5 am Friday. Rabbit Creek and Muldoon remained in advisory level. Site Summit peaked at least 89 mph with 11 pm Thursday observation...and 78 mph peak at 1 am Friday...with winds less than 60 mph by 5 am Friday.

Event by event

6 high wind, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Alaska Peninsula

When: January 25, 5:53 AM AST to 3:53 PM AST
Where: Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 117 kt (135 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Eastern Aleutians

When: January 25, 6:15 AM AST to January 26, 4:00 AM AST
Where: Eastern Aleutians forecast zone
Measured: 89 kt (102 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Bristol Bay

When: January 25, 11:35 AM AST to 7:55 PM AST
Where: Bristol Bay forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Kuskokwim Delta

When: January 25, 4:55 PM AST to 10:55 PM AST
Where: Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Kodiak Peninsula

When: January 25, 7:00 PM AST to 8:00 PM AST
Where: Kodiak Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: January 25, 11:00 PM AST to January 26, 7:15 AM AST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured: 77 kt (89 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Susitna Valley

When: January 26, 4:00 AM AST to 4:00 PM AST
Where: Susitna Valley forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

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

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: 5229462, 5229461, 5229464, 5229463, 5229465, 5229466, 5229467.