Alaska, 2002

High Wind in Alaska, December 12, 2002

December 12, 2002 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

With an existing moderate northeast pressure gradient over the Chukchi Sea, an upper level low pressure center drifted north into the area tightening the gradient further and causing wind gusts to reach 60 mph at the Point Hope AWOS briefly.

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.

With an existing moderate northeast pressure gradient over the Chukchi Sea, an upper level low pressure center drifted north into the area tightening the gradient further and causing wind gusts to reach 60 mph at the Point Hope AWOS briefly.

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 Dec 12, 2:30 PM AST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 12, 2:30 PM AST, 1 hour before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM AST THU DEC 12 2002

A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN THE GULF OF ALASKA IS SENDING A WARM
FRONT ALOFT NORTH-NORTHWEST OVER EASTERN ALASKA TONIGHT. A PORTION OF
THE LOW PRESSURE REFORMS OVER NORTON SOUND 00Z SAT AT 974 MB WHILE THE
REMAINDER MOVES NE OVER WESTERN CANADA TO A LOW OF 978 MB NEAR INUVIK...
AND THE FRONTAL SYSTEM WEAKENING INTO A TROF BETWEEN THE LOWS. HIGH
PRESSURE WILL PERSIST OVER RUSSIA AND THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC.

FAIRBANKS RADAR SHOWS SEVERAL BANDS OF SNOW MOVING WEST OVER THE AREA
ASSOCIATED WITH THE WARM FRONT.  SNOW IS ALREADY OCCURRING AT TANANA AND
EXPECT SNOW WILL SPREAD NORTH OVER THE EASTERN ARCTIC ZONES AND THE
REST OF THE EASTERN INTERIOR TONIGHT.  WILL MAINTAIN SAME SNOW AMOUNTS
AS MORNING FORECASTS AS MODELS ARE SHOWING ABOUT THE SAME PRECIPITATION
OR IF ANYTHING A BIT LESS.

ON THE NORTH SLOPE...SOME SNOW TONIGHT FROM WARM FRONT...LINGERING INTO
FRIDAY...WITH UPSLOPE CONDITIONS ON HIGHER TERRAIN EXPECT UP TO THREE
INCHES IN PLACES MAINLY MIDDLE AND EASTERN BROOKS RANGE. EXPECT BRISK
NORTHEAST WINDS WILL HANG ON AT LEAST THROUGH FRIDAY OVER THE NORTHERN
ARCTIC AND WESTERN ARCTIC ZONES...THEN DROP A LITTLE AS THE LOW CENTERS
WEAKEN SOME THROUGH SATURDAY.

OVER WESTERN ALASKA...CURRENT WEAK LOW OVER NORTON SOUND DISSIPATING
SOON AND SNOW ALL BUT GONE...BUT WILL DEVELOP AGAIN AND GULF OF ALASKA
LOW REFORMS OVER NORTON SOUND FRIDAY. EXPECT ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE TO TWO
INCHES IN SOME AREAS THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT.

OVER THE CENTRAL/EASTERN INTERIOR...SNOW MOST AREAS TONIGHT EITHER
CONTINUING OR DEVELOPING...LINGERING INTO FRIDAY. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF
ONE TO THREE INCHES...HIGHEST OVER THE SOUTHERN SLOPES OF THE BROOKS
RANGE. LIKELY WILL BE HARD TO SEE MORE THAN 2 INCHES TOTAL FROM FAIRBANKS
SE TO NORTHWAY.  SOME COOLING OVER INTERIOR SAT NIGHT-SUNDAY AS WEAKENING
SYSTEM DISSIPATES.  MODELS AGREE IN SHOWING MANY SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES
ACROSS INTERIOR...AND CLOUD COVER WILL HAVE DEVELOPED MUCH MORE HOLES
BY THEN TO ALLOW TEMPS TO DROP.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...WIND ADV 201..202..207.
MARINE...SCA AREA 10B, BWA AREAS 11A/11B
         HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY AREA 10B

JL DEC 02

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Chukchi Sea Coast

When
December 12, 3:30 PM AST to 4:30 PM AST
Where
Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 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: 5322125.