An offshore Low resulted in a series of strong frontal passages in southern Southeast Alaska. On the roof of the Ketchikan Airport Terminal east-southeast wind gusts as high as 75 mph (65 knots) were measured.
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.
The episode as NWS AJK wrote it up.
An offshore Low resulted in a series of strong frontal passages in southern Southeast Alaska. On the roof of the Ketchikan Airport Terminal east-southeast wind gusts as high as 75 mph (65 knots) were measured. In the Ketchikan Harbor wind gusts to 62 mph (54 knots) occurred. Small tree and other minor damage was reported in the area.
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 Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 10, 3:31 PM AST, 1 hour 29 minutes earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION 1045 AM AST TUE DEC 10 2002 .SYNOPSIS... .SHORT RANGE...978 MB LOW 150 NM SOUTHWEST OF KETCHIKAN IS TRACKING NORTHEAST REACHING 150 NM WEST OF KETCHIKAN AT 00Z WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN CENTRAL PRESSURE. THE ASSOCIATED OCCLUSION IS MOVING ONSHORE THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE FROM DIXON ENTRANCE AT THIS TIME. A STRONG BAND OF CONVECTIVE CELLS EXISTS ON THE B.C. COAST BETWEEN PORT HARDY AND PRINCE RUPERT, BUT SHOULD NOT BE AS STRONG AS THEY REACH THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO THE SECOND WRAP OF THE OCCLUSION. THE STRONGEST WINDS SHOULD OCCUR WITH THE SECOND WRAP OF THE OCCLUSION, SEE THE AJK SECTION (NEXT PARAGRAPH). .LONG RANGE...THE 12Z MODELS RUNS IN FAIR AGREEMENT...AND QUITE SIMILAR IN TRACK OF THE MAJOR FEATURES ACROSS THE AREA. DEVELOPING SYSTEM OUT OF THE NORTH PACIFIC MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL GULF DURING WEDNESDAY AND CURVING NORTH ALONG 140 WEST. THE SURFACE LOW PULLING BACK TOWARD THE PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND POCKET INTO THURSDAY. THE SURFACE FRONT PUSHING INTO THE PANHANDLE AREA WEDNESDAY. A WAVE ON THE FRONT DEVELOPS AND PULLS INTO THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE WEDNESDAY EVENING/NIGHT. EXPECT THE TRANSITION OVER SHOWERS TO OCCUR BY THURSDAY MORNING. SOME RIDGING OVER THE GULF TO OCCUR THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT INCOMING SYSTEM FOR THE WEEKEND. THIS SYSTEM BECOMING QUITE COMPLEX AS MULTIPLE LOWS DEVELOP AND BECOME THE PRIMARY LOW, AS IT MOVES EAST. THE SECOND LOW TAKING OVER AS THE IT MOVES INTO THE WESTERN GULF DEEPENING TO ABOUT 950 MB. THE THIRD LOW DEVELOPS AS WHAT LOOKS LIKE A TRIPLE POINT AND SWINGS NORTH INTO THE CENTRAL GULF EARLY FRIDAY. THE ASSOCIATED WEATHER FRONT SHOULD LIFT INTO THE PANHANDLE FRIDAY EVENING/NIGHT. A FOURTH LOW DEVELOPS AND MOVES INTO THE EAST CENTRAL GULF FRIDAY NIGHT. LEAVING A BROAD COMPLEX MULTI CENTER LOW OVER THE GULF WITH THE LOWS ROTATING ABOUT EACH OTHER. IT APPEARS THE LOW NUMBER 2 OR 3 WILL GET SLING SHOT AROUND THE LOWS AND INTO THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT WITH CURRENT MODEL FORECAST. EXPECT THIS LOW TO PERSIST IN THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF INTO MIDWEEK KEEPING THE ONSHORE FLOW OF SHOWERS OR PERIODS OF RAIN WITH VORTICITY LOBE ROTATING THROUGH. THE TAIL END OF THE MRF SHOWS ANOTHER LARGE STORM MOVING SLOWLY EAST ALONG 50N JUST SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN THROUGH THURSDAY THE 20TH. AM NOT SEEING ANY SIGNIFICANT COOL DOWN THROUGH THE NEXT WEEK AND AND A HALF. GUIDANCE TEMPERATURES SHOWING A MINOR COOL DOWN OVER THE NEXT WEEK BUT THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO SAY THAT FOR ABOUT A HALF A WEEK ALREADY. WILL HAVE TO SEE A SIGNIFICANT PATTERN CHANGE I THINK BEFORE I WILL HAVE ANY CONFIDENCE IN A WHITE CHRISTMAS. .AJK...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES PUBLIC...WIND ADVISORIES ZONES 27 THROUGH 28 FOR THIS AFTERNOON. MARINE...GALE SRN 1A3 (SUMNER STRAIT AND CLARENCE STRAIT), AND 1B S OF CAPE EDGECUMBE. SCA REMAINDER OF 1A3, AND ALL OF 1A2. SCA REMAINDER OF 1B. JT - BMB
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2002
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: 5321603.