High Wind in Alaska, November 22 to 25, 2001

Name: High Wind in Alaska, November 22 to 25, 2001
Start: 2001-11-22T19:00
End: 2001-11-25T04:00
Location: Alaska

November 22 to 25, 2001 · NWS AFC · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

An intense 952 mb low moved to 120 miles northeast of Shemya Friday afternoon, taking up "residence" there and slowly weakening to 976 mbs in just about the same spot early Sunday. In advance of the storm, a moderate to strong front was preceded by strong east and southeast winds.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 952 mb low moved to 120 miles northeast of Shemya Friday afternoon, taking up "residence" there and slowly weakening to 976 mbs in just about the same spot early Sunday. Strong west and northwest winds were observed on the back side of the storm.In advance of the storm, a moderate to strong front was preceded by strong east and southeast winds. Friday afternoon the front extended in an arc from the low northeast of Shemya to just southwest of the Pribilofs then south to just west of Unalaska. By Saturday afternoon, the front had weakened somewhat, extending from Cape Navarin, Russia to still just southwest of the Pribilofs.A strong frontal low moved north northwest along the front from the north-central Pacific, as an intense 969 mb center 100 miles south of Dutch Harbor Saturday afternoon. The low then continued northwest into the Bering Sea to a position about 120 miles south of Saint Matthew Island early Sunday...with its front in an east and southeast arc just north of Saint Matthew Island to Sand Point. Strong easterly winds were observed in advance of the storm...and along its southeast quadrant.On back side of the low, Adak peaked at 54 mph (ASOS) Friday. Brisk northwest winds, gusting to 51 mph (ASOS) were again observed there late Saturday afternoon and early Sunday.Pre-frontal winds at the southern Bering Sea buoy reached 58 mph Saturday morning.Gusts at Saint Paul reached 63 mph early Sunday on the southeast side of the frontal low. Saint George recorded southeast gusts of 66 mph between 10 pm and 11 pm Saturday and again between 2 and 3 am Sunday. Initially, pre-frontal winds Saturday stayed just under 60 mph at both Saint Paul and Saint George Islands.Around Dutch Harbor, the airport recorded an easterly, pre-frontal gust of 67 mph between 4:15 pm and 4:35 pm Saturday.At Cold Bay, southeast gusts of 66 mph were reported (ASOS) between 4pm and 5pm Saturday as the second frontal low moved by. The F/V "Snohomish", in King Cove, reported gusts of 86 mph sometime late Saturday afternoon, in a collective passed on by Weather Service Office Kodiak.At Port Heiden, southeast winds approaching 60 mph were reported Saturday morning.

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Western Aleutians

When: November 22, 7:00 PM AST to November 24, 11:59 PM AST
Where: Western Aleutians forecast zone
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

High Wind, Eastern Aleutians

When: November 23, 4:00 PM AST to 5:00 PM AST
Where: Eastern Aleutians forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Alaska Peninsula

When: November 24, 2:00 PM AST to 9:00 PM AST
Where: Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 75 kt (86 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

High Wind, Pribilof Islands

When: November 24, 9:00 PM AST to November 25, 4:00 AM AST
Where: Pribilof Islands forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 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, November 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: 5269414, 5269415, 5269416, 5269417.