High Wind in Alaska, December 22, 2002

Name: High Wind in Alaska, December 22, 2002
Start: 2002-12-22T16:35
End: 2002-12-22T20:00
Location: Alaska

December 22, 2002 · NWS AJK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

High winds (those 60 mph or greater) occurred in Hydaburg along the extreme Southeast Coast of Alaska. The peak gust of 64 mph (56 knots) was measured at the airport.

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 AJK wrote it up.

High winds (those 60 mph or greater) occurred in Hydaburg along the extreme Southeast Coast of Alaska. The peak gust of 64 mph (56 knots) was measured at the airport. No damage nor injuries were reported.

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 22, 10:45 AM AST, 5 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 22, 10:45 AM AST, 5 hours 50 minutes before

SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
1045 AM AST SUN DEC 22 2002

.SYNOPSIS...
.SHORT RANGE...THE OCCLUDED FRONT MOVING INTO THE EASTERN GULF
THIS MORNING SHOULD MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHEAST GULF AND THE
NORTHERN PANHANDLE BY LATE THIS EVENING. THE FRONT IS FORECAST TO
PASS THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE OVERNIGHT. THE PARENT LOW
SOUTH OF KODIAK SHOULD MOVE SLOWLY NORTH TO COOK INLET BY
MORNING. THE FREEZING LEVEL WILL CONTINUE TO RISE OVER MUCH OF
THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. THE AREAS OF SNOW AT SEA LEVEL
OVER THE NORTHEAST GULF AND NORTHERN INNER CHANNELS OF THE
PANHANDLE WILL CHANGE OVER TO RAIN DURING THE DAY AND TONIGHT AS
THE WARM AIR AHEAD OF THE FRONT CONTINUES. THE HEAVY SNOW WARNING
FOR THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE HAINES AND KLONDIKE HIGHWAYS WILL
CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING BUT THE PRECIPITATION THERE WILL ALSO
CHANGE OVER TO RAIN TONIGHT.

.LONG RANGE...MODELS LOOK TO BE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THIS MORNING ON
THE GENERAL TREND OF THINGS. THE TROUGH ALOFT MOVING ACROSS THE
GULF OF ALASKA BECOMING NEGATIVELY TILTED AS IT REACHES THE
COASTLINE AND THE RIDGE OVER WESTERN CANADA.  THE RIDGE DOES
EVENTUALLY GIVE WAY MONDAY TO TUESDAY ALLOWING THE FRONT WHICH
STALLS OVER THE PANHANDLE TO PUSH INTO CANADA. EXPECT SMALL LOWS
TO RUN ALONG THE STALLED FRONT THROUGH MONDAY-TUESDAY TIME FRAME.

THIS LEAVES A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ACROSS THE GULF OF
ALASKA. EXPECT WEAK ONSHORE FLOW TO CONTINUE...AND WITH A WEAK
FILL OF COLD AIR OVER THE GULF...SHOWERS WILL BECOME MIXED WITH
OR CHANGE TO ALL SNOW BY MID WEEK.

THIS MORNINGS RUN CHANGES MOVEMENT OF LOW SWINGING NORTH FROM THE
EAST PACIFIC AGAIN... NOW INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA COAST SOUTH OF
THE PANHANDLE. I AM NOT GOING TO GET TO EXCITED ABOUT THIS AND
WILL HOLD THE LINE ON EXTENDED FORECASTS.  MAY SEE A BIT OF MINOR
TWEAKING TO CHANCE CATEGORIES FOR THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE NEXT
WEEKEND THOUGH.

.AJK...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
PUBLIC...HEAVY SNOW WARNING INTO TONIGHT FOR THE HAINES AND
         KLONDIKE HIGHWAYS.
MARINE...GALE..1A..1B..2A

RHM - BMB

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Dixon Entrance to Cape Decision-Coastal Area

When: December 22, 4:35 PM AST to 8:00 PM AST
Where: Dixon Entrance to Cape Decision-Coastal Area forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 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: 5321609.