High Wind in Alaska, December 15, 2002

Name: High Wind in Alaska, December 15, 2002
Start: 2002-12-15T08:00
End: 2002-12-15T14:00
Location: Alaska

December 15, 2002 · NWS AJK · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

High winds occurred in the Southern Panhandle. Peak wind gusts were measured to 66 mph (57 knots) at the Hydaburg Airport.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 AJK wrote it up.

High winds occurred in the Southern Panhandle. Peak wind gusts were measured to 66 mph (57 knots) at the Hydaburg Airport. Winds were also estimated to reach 60 mph according to spotters in the Ketchikan area.

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 Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 15, 7:17 AM AST, 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 15, 7:17 AM AST, 43 minutes before

SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
245 AM AST SUN DEC 15 2002

.SHORT RANGE...
AIRMASS IS MUCH DRIER AND WARMER ALOFT AS PER PAYA AND PANT 00Z
SOUNDINGS. THIS WILL SERVE TO DECREASE ANY PRECIPITATION THAT
DOES MANAGE TO FALL FROM A CLOSED LOW MOVING NORTHWEST ALONG THE
OUTER COAST OF THE AK PANHANDLE AND BRING PRECIPITATION MORE IN
THE FORM OF RAIN NEAR SEA LEVEL WHERE THERE WAS SNOW SATURDAY.
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WIND AND PRECIPITATION WAS OVER THE SOUTHERN
THIRD OF THE PANHANDLE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. STRONG WINDS WILL
CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH THE MORNING. A SECOND SURFACE LOW WILL
MOVE UP FROM WEST OF VICTORIA ISLAND AND DECREASE THE STRONG
GRADIENT OVER THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE BY SUNDAY EVENING. WILL
CONTINUE WIND AND MARINE ADVISORIES THROUGH TODAY.

.LONG RANGE...
THE MAJOR CHANGE IN THE MODEL RUNS SINCE YESTERDAY IS THE TRACK
OF THE LOW THAT IS APPROACHING VANCOUVER ISLAND ON SUNDAY.
INSTEAD OF CROSSING THE ISLAND AND HEADING INLAND THIS LOW IS NOW
GETTING PULLED BACK NORTH TOWARDS THE SLOWLY WEAKEN BUT STILL
QUITE DEEP LOW IN THE EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA. THE OLD LOW MOVES
SLOWLY NORTHEAST TO JUST OFFSHORE OF THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF COAST
BY MONDAY. THE NEXT LOW TRACKS NORTH INTO HECATE STRAIT BY 12Z ON
MONDAY AND ACROSS DIXON ENTRANCE AROUND DAYBREAK ON MONDAY. THE
LOW THEN GETS LOST IN THE MODEL RESOLUTION AROUND THE SOUTHERN
TIP OF THE PANHANDLE. THE AVN TRACKS THE LOW OVER THE COAST
MOUNTAINS AND ONSHORE BUT THE ETA SEEMS TO PULL THE LOW UP THE
PANHANDLE TOWARDS THE OTHER LOW. WITH THE LAST FEW SYSTEMS THE
ETA HAS BEEN HANDLING THE LOW TRACKS NEAR OR THROUGH THE
PANHANDLE MUCH BETTER AND THIS LOOKS LIKE THE SAME SET UP SO WILL
GO WITH THE GENERAL IDEA OF THE ETA TRACK FOR MONDAY.

AS THE LOW TRACKS NORTH THROUGH THE DAY ON MONDAY IT WILL MOST
LIKELY PRODUCE QUITE A LOT MORE WIND FOR THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE
THAN THE MODELS ARE SUGGESTING. AS THE LOW APPROACHES THE
PANHANDLE ITS SIGNATURE IN THE MODELS GETS WASHED OUT BY THE
DEEPER LOW IN THE GULF. HOWEVER THE SECOND LOW WILL STILL HAVE A
TIGHT GRADIENT AROUND IT AND IF IT TRACKS UP THE MIDDLE OF THE
PANHANDLE IT WILL STILL MAKE PLENTY OF WIND IN AREAS TO THE EAST
OF THE LOW AS IT PASSES BY ON MONDAY.

FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK THE TREND OF COOLING THE PANHANDLE OFF
STILL LOOKS GOOD. WE SHOULD SEE RAIN SHOWERS TURNING TO SNOW
MONDAY NIGHT OR TUESDAY AND THEN SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ON
WEDNESDAY.

IN THE LATER PARTS OF THE WEEK A DEEP LOW DEVELOPS IN THE BERING
SEA AND ANOTHER LOW HEADS TOWARDS THE CALIFORNIA COAST. THIS PUTS
THE PANHANDLE IN A REGION OF HIGH PRESSURE IN BETWEEN THE LOWS
AND WILL INITIALLY MAKE FOR SOME COLD TEMPERATURES AND DRY
WEATHER WHILE THE PANHANDLE STAYS IN OFFSHORE FLOW. EVENTUALLY
THE LOW IN THE BERING WILL PULL UP ENOUGH WARM AIR AHEAD OF IT TO
WARM THE PANHANDLE BACK UP A BIT BY THE WEEKEND.

.AJK...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
PUBLIC...WIND ADVISORY ZONES 27 28 29.
MARINE...GALE SRN 1A3 AND SRN 1B.

LN/DED JER

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Dixon Entrance to Cape Decision-Coastal Area

When: December 15, 8:00 AM AST to 2:00 PM AST
Where: Dixon Entrance to Cape Decision-Coastal Area forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Southern Southeast Alaska Ernest Sound to Dixon Entrance

When: December 15, 8:00 AM AST to 2:00 PM AST
Where: Southern Southeast Alaska Ernest Sound to Dixon Entrance forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
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.

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, 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: 5321607, 5321608.