High Wind, Denali
- When
- January 16, 3:52 PM AST
- Where
- Denali forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
High Wind in Alaska, January 16, 2002
A very brief period of winds meeting warning criteria were reported along the north slopes of the central Alaska Range. These winds developed in response to a building ridge of high pressure south of the mountain range, and a low pressure trough to the north.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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 AFG wrote it up.
A very brief period of winds meeting warning criteria were reported along the north slopes of the central Alaska Range. These winds developed in response to a building ridge of high pressure south of the mountain range, and a low pressure trough to the north. A sufficient pressure differential between these two systems helped create strong winds at Healy were the weather observer reported a wind gust to 52 knots (60 mph). Wind gusts up to 48 knots (55 mph) were estimated to have occurred with this system across the northeast slopes of the eastern Alaska Range.
Event by event
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng
- When
- January 16, 6:00 PM AST to 7:00 PM AST
- Where
- Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
- Measured
- 48 kt (55 mph)
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
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, January 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: 5279711, 5279712.