High Wind in Alaska, August 24, 2002

Name: High Wind in Alaska, August 24, 2002
Start: 2002-08-24T20:59
End: 2002-08-24T22:13
Location: Alaska

August 24, 2002 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The AWOS at Cape Lisburne reported a maximum gust to 48 mph.

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 AFG wrote it up.

Strong southwest winds developed around Cape Lisburne as a warm front moved north over the Chukchi Sea.The AWOS at Cape Lisburne reported a maximum gust to 48 mph.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 24, 7:17 PM AST, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 24, 7:17 PM AST, 1 hour 42 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM ADT SAT AUG 24 2002

UPPER AIR PROGS ARE IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY.
A MAINLY CLOUDY PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST OVER NORTHERN
ALASKA DURING THE UPCOMING WEEK. A PARTLY CLOUDY PERIOD MAY BE
POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN INTERIOR ZONES MONDAY AS A
RIDGE ALOFT BRIEFLY BUILDS OVER THE AREA. THE RIDGE WILL
BE REPLACED BY WESTERLY FLOW BY WEDNESDAY.

AVIATION RUN IS PREFERRED ON HANDLING OF LOW PRESSURE
CENTERS OVER THE CHUKCHI SEA AND WESTERN ARCTIC OCEAN.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY

PUBLIC...
ZONE 222...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE CHENA RIVER UPSTREAM FROM
           NORDALE ROAD TO THE MOOSE CREEK DAM.
ZONE 201...WIND ADVISORY NEAR CAPE LISBURNE.

MARINE...
AREA 14....SCA
AREA 10B...SCA
AREA 11A...SCA

RF AUG 02

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Western Arctic Coast

When: August 24, 8:59 PM AST to 10:13 PM AST
Where: Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Measured: 42 kt (48 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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, August 2002

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: 5313142.