Alaska, 2002

Cold in Alaska, January 23 to 24, 2002

January 23 to 24, 2002 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Wind chills to 63 degrees below zero were reported at Shishmaref. Sufficiently cold surface temperatures coupled with winds greater than 15 mph resulted in warning critera wind chills.

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 AFG wrote it up.

Wind chills to 63 degrees below zero were reported at Shishmaref. Sufficiently cold surface temperatures coupled with winds greater than 15 mph resulted in warning critera wind chills. Winds necessary to cause these wind chill temperatures developed between a low pressure center over northwestern Alaska, and a building ridge of high pressure over the Chukotsk Peninsula.

Event by event

1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Chukchi Sea Coast

When
January 23, 11:35 PM AST to January 24, 3:55 AM AST
Where
Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

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: 5279780.