High Wind in Alaska, December 17 to 19, 2002

Name: High Wind in Alaska, December 17 to 19, 2002
Start: 2002-12-17T18:00
End: 2002-12-19T06:00
Location: Alaska

December 17 to 19, 2002 · NWS AFC · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A very strong storm system moved northeast through the western Aleutians during midweek, preceded by a strong front. Winds in advance of the front were southeasterly.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

A very strong storm system moved northeast through the western Aleutians during midweek, preceded by a strong front. Winds in advance of the front were southeasterly. Gusts around 60 mph were reported at Shemya, Dutch Harbor and at both reporting sites of the Pribilof Islands.Around the storm center, along the south and southwest quadrants, extreme wind gusts were observed. Attu, along the western tip of the Aleutians, reported gusts of 122 mph on one of 3 wind systems there. Reportedly, the sensor that recorded the 122 mph typically reports wind speeds less than the one on the runway (which was unavailable for this event) with this particular wind direction. Sustained winds between 70 and 90 mph were reported for an extended 12 hour period on the back side of the storm at Attu. Shemya also recorded strong westerly gusts which peaked at 89 mph midday Wednesday.

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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 17, 3:07 PM AST, 2 hours 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 17, 3:07 PM AST, 2 hours 53 minutes before

SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
10 AM AST TUE DEC 17 2002

ANALYSIS...THE MAJOR UPPER COMPLEX FROM NORTH CENTRAL RUSSIA AND
OVER MOST OF NORTHEASTERN RUSSIA PERSISTS WITH COLD AIR. THIS HAS
SET UP A NEW BRANCH OF THE POLAR JET SLIGHTLY ANTICYCLONIC FROM
SOUTHERN KAMCHATKA TO AN EXIT NEAR 40/170W ABOUT 130 KNOTS. THE
LEFT REAR OF THIS JET ALONG WITH A STRONG SHORTWAVE IS HELPING TO
DEVELOP A 979 STORM NEAR 44/160E AS OF 18Z TODAY. THIS IS THE
MONSTER LOW THAT WILL SLAM THE BERING SEA AREA. THE JET MERGES
THEN BLASTS INTO ARIZONA. A MUCH WEAKER UPPER LOW OVER THE
CENTRAL GULF IS CAUSING PLENTY OF WEATHER PROBLEMS FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL. THIS SUPPORTS A 970 MB SURFACE LOW 12Z THAT IS
CIRCULATING MOISTURE OUT OF THE EAST INTO WEAK SOUTHERLY FLOW
ALOFT OVER THE CENTRAL INTERIOR. A MOIST EASTERLY WAVE IS OVER
THE CORDOVA AREA HEADED TOWARD THE KENAI PENINSULA. THE OLD LOW
IS STILL HANGING AROUND THE BERING SEA WITH A FRONT THAT HAS
STALLED OFF THE SOUTHWEST COAST.

FORECASTS...A FIRST LOOK AT THE 12Z MODEL RUNS SHOWS THAT THE
GULF LOW IS A PERSISTENT FEATURE AND WILL LAST INTO THURSDAY. THE
STORM MOVING INTO THE WESTERN BERING SEA IS SO STRONG THAT IT IS
CHANGING THE PATTERN AND IS GOING TO DRIVE STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW
ALOFT OVER THE WEST COAST OF ALASKA STARTING 12Z THU. IN BETWEEN
AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDS ALONG 160W BY 00Z THURSDAY ON ALL OF THE
MODELS WHICH WILL FINALLY KICK OUT THE GULF LOW AHEAD OF THE
STORM BY 12Z FRIDAY. TWO BIG QUESTIONS REMAIN AFTER THE PESKY
SNOW BANDS END FROM THE GULF LOW: HOW DEEP IS THE STORM AND HOW
FAR EAST ARE ITS EFFECTS? ALL FIVE MODELS DEVELOP THE LOW INTO
THE MID 940S WEST OF 180 BY 00Z THURSDAY AND THEN STARTS TO FILL
IT AS IT TRACKS DUE NORTH. IN THE MEDIUM RANGE...A SECONDARY LOW
DEVELOPS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE STORM WHICH MOVES TO ADAK BY
12Z FRIDAY AS A MODERATE FRONT FROM THE MAIN LOW MOVES ACROSS
KODIAK ISLAND. THE 12Z GFS FORECASTS THAT THE PRESSURE GRADIENT
AHEAD OF THIS FRONT WILL BRING SOME WIND AND SOMEWHAT WARMER
TEMPERATURES TO SOUTH CENTRAL ON FRIDAY. THE SECOND LOW BRINGING
GALE FORCE WINDS TO A NUMBER OF MARINE AREAS SHOULD ARRIVE OVER
THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS BY 12Z SAT AROUND 972 MB AS PER THE ECMWF
AND 12Z GFS. THE FORECASTS ARE QUITE TRICKY FROM NOW INTO THE
WEEKEND THANKS TO THE EASTERLY WAVES AROUND THE GULF LOW AND THE
SECONDARY DEVELOPMENT ON THE STORM. WHEW

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HI WIND WATCH 185 191. BLIZZARD WATCH 195.
         SNOW ADVSRY 121. WIND ADVSRY 171.
MARINE...HURRICANE FORCE 13. STORM 12B. GALES 3ABC 5A 12A 15.

JC DEC 02

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Western Aleutians

When: December 17, 6:00 PM AST to December 19, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Western Aleutians forecast zone
Measured: 106 kt (122 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Pribilof Islands

When: December 18, 10:00 AM AST to 5:00 PM AST
Where: Pribilof Islands forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Eastern Aleutians

When: December 18, 3:00 PM AST to 7:00 PM AST
Where: Eastern Aleutians forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 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, 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: 5323499, 5323501, 5323500.