High Wind, Central Beaufort Sea Coast
- When
- February 4, 4:53 AM AST to February 5, 1:53 AM AST
- Where
- Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 4 to 5, 2002
High winds were reported along the Central and Eastern Beaufort Sea Coasts as the pressure gradient between a building high pressure center over the Arctic Ocean and a deep trough of low pressure north of the Brooks Range strengthened. Wind gusts to 61 knots (69 mph) were reported at the Deadhorse ASOS site.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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.
High winds were reported along the Central and Eastern Beaufort Sea Coasts as the pressure gradient between a building high pressure center over the Arctic Ocean and a deep trough of low pressure north of the Brooks Range strengthened. Wind gusts to 61 knots (69 mph) were reported at the Deadhorse ASOS site. Kuparuk, Nuiqsut ASOS, and Barter Island AWOS sites also reported high winds of 48 knots (55 mph), 51 knots (58 mph), and 56 knots (64 mph) respectively. In addition, blizzard conditions developed during these winds and were reported at Barrow, Deadhorse, Kuparuk, and Barter Island.
Event by event
3 blizzard, 2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast
- When
- February 4, 5:47 AM AST to February 5, 4:53 AM AST
- Where
- Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
High Wind, Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast
- When
- February 4, 7:35 AM AST to February 5, 3:00 AM AST
- Where
- Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard, Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast
- When
- February 4, 8:59 AM AST to 6:45 PM AST
- Where
- Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard, Northern Arctic Coast
- When
- February 4, 4:53 PM AST to 5:53 PM AST
- Where
- Northern Arctic Coast forecast zone
- 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.
- Blizzard
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in South Carolina, February 4, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, February 4, 2002
- Heavy Snow in New York, February 4, 2002
- High Wind in North Carolina, February 4, 2002
- High Wind in North Carolina, February 4 to 5, 2002
- Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 4, 2002
- High Wind in New Jersey, February 4, 2002
- Winter Storm in Maine, February 4 to 5, 2002
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, February 4, 2002
- High Wind in Maryland, February 4, 2002
- High Wind in North Carolina, February 4, 2002
- High Wind in Georgia, February 4, 2002
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 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: 5279919, 5279922, 5279920, 5279921, 5279923.