Alaska, 2002

Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, November 17 to 18, 2002

November 17 to 18, 2002 · NWS AFG · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

High wind occurred at:Zone 217 Makpik Creek Remote Autmotated Weather Station (RAWS) peak gust to 55 mph.

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 AFG wrote it up.

With a moderate pressure gradient across western Alaska due to strong stationary high pressure over Russia, a disturbance moved from a low pressure center over the Alaska Peninsula north over the west coast, increasing winds and producing local blizzard conditions.High wind and Blizzard occurred at:Zone 213 Gambell AWOS peak gust to 66 mph.High wind occurred at:Zone 217 Makpik Creek Remote Autmotated Weather Station (RAWS) peak gust to 55 mph.

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 Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 17, 4:00 AM AST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 17, 4:00 AM AST, 1 hour 35 minutes before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
400 AM AST SUN NOV 17 2002

STRONG LOW PRESSURE 100 MILES WEST OF CAPE NEWENHAM WILL DRIFT NORTHWEST
TODAY AND BY 400 PM THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE 60 MILES NORTH OF SAINT
MATTHEW ISLAND. THIS SYSTEM WILL CAUSE WINDS TO 60 MPH OVER SAINT
LAWRENCE ISLAND AND NORTH THROUGH THE BERING STRAIT AND OVER THE
CHUKCHI SEA TO POINT HOPE THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. WIND SHOULD HIT 60 MPH
AT GAMBELL FIRST THING THIS MORNING THEN SPREAD NORTH THROUGH THE DAY.

AN OCCLUDED FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE LOW EAST TO ANOTHER
LOW NEAR KODIAK ISLAND THEN ALONG THE NORTHERN COAST OF THE GULF OF
ALASKA WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY AND GRADUALLY BLEND WITH THE
ARCTIC FRONT PARALLEL AND DUE NORTH OF THE OCCLUDED FRONT. AT 400 AM
MONDAY THE ARCTIC FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM NUNIVAK ISLAND TO WASILLA AND
INTO CANADA NEAR BURWASH LANDING. CLOUDINESS WILL INCREASE OVER WESTERN
ZONES TODAY, BUT ONLY A LITTLE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED NORTH OF THE
ARCTIC FRONT. THE TANANA VALLEY JET WILL MAKE FOR ADVISORY LEVELS WINDS
FOR BIG DELTA.

ANY SNOW WHICH FALLS OVER WEST COAST ZONES WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES, BUT
AT THIS TIME VISIBILITIES ARE EXPECTED NOT TO REACH BLIZZARD LEVELS.

THE AVN SHOWS A CONTINUATION OF NORMAL TO A LITTLE ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES, BUT WITH COOLING POSSIBLE TOWARD WEEKS END. WINDS OVER
THE NORTHERN BERING SEA TO THE WESTERN ARCTIC COAST SHOULD LET UP BY
MID WEEK. PRECIPITATION WILL BE LIGHT DURING THE WEEK.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY

.PUBLIC...
HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
    ZONE 201, WESTERN ARCTIC COAST.
    ZONE 207, CHUKCHI SEA COAST.
    ZONE 213, SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND-BERING STRAIT COAST.

.MARINE...
GALE WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 14, SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND WATERS.
    AREA 9B, SLEDGE ISLAND TO WALES AND THE SAINT
        LAWRENCE ISLAND WATERS.
    AREA 10B, WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE.
    AREA 11A, CAPE LISBURNE TO ICY CAPE.

HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 9A, NORTON SOUND FROM SLEDGE
        ISLAND TO NUNAKTUK ISLAND.
    AREA 9B, DALL POINT TO SLEDGE ISLAND.
    AREA 10B, WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 9A, NORTON SOUND FROM SLEDGE ISLAND TO NUNAKTUK ISLAND.
    AREA 9B, DALL POINT TO SLEDGE ISLAND.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY AREA 11A, ICY CAPE TO CAPE HALKETT.

DA NOV 02

Event by event

2 high wind, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When
November 17, 5:35 AM AST to 5:15 PM AST
Where
St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Measured
57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Upper Kobuk and Noatak Vlys

When
November 17, 1:00 PM AST to 11:52 PM AST
Where
Upper Kobuk and Noatak Vlys forecast zone
Measured
48 kt (55 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When
November 18, 4:15 AM AST to 5:15 AM AST
Where
St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait 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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, November 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: 5322431, 5322432, 5322433.