High Wind in Alaska, November 25 to 27, 2002

Name: High Wind in Alaska, November 25 to 27, 2002
Start: 2002-11-25T07:00
End: 2002-11-27T06:00
Location: Alaska

November 25 to 27, 2002 · NWS AFC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Tight pressure gradients between an area of high pressure in western Canada and an extremely large low in the Gulf of Alaska produced locally strong winds along the Anchorage Hillside and through Turnagain Arm. Around zone 101, easterly wind gusts reached 76 mph at Glen Alps around noon Tuesday, and southeast 83 mph at the McHugh Creek Road Weather Information System at 6:05 am Tuesday.

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 AFC wrote it up.

Tight pressure gradients between an area of high pressure in western Canada and an extremely large low in the Gulf of Alaska produced locally strong winds along the Anchorage Hillside and through Turnagain Arm. A frontal low which moved toward Kodiak Island rapidly intensified, reaching a minimum central pressure of 975 mbs as it crossed Shelikof Strait early Tuesday morning.Around zone 101, easterly wind gusts reached 76 mph at Glen Alps around noon Tuesday, and southeast 83 mph at the McHugh Creek Road Weather Information System at 6:05 am Tuesday. Several trees fell during the event. One of the local t.v. weather-casters reported that a large spruce tree snapped off in his yard.Across zone 125 around Turnagain Arm, easterly winds locally gusted into the 60+ mph range. Strongest winds reported were around Bird Point. Winds in the Portage Valley were less significant.

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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 25, 5:00 AM AST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 25, 5:00 AM AST, 2 hours before

SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
900 PM AST SUN NOV 24 2002

ANALYSIS...

FORECASTS...THE UPPER PATTERN WITH A HIGH OVER WESTERN CANADA AND
A LOW OVER THE BERING SEA WILL CONTINUE TO HOLD FOR ANOTHER 2 TO
3 DAYS. THIS PATTERN WILL KEEP SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA UNDER A WARM
MOIST FLOW AND WILL STEER A SERIES OF WEATHER FRONTS INTO
SOUTHERN ALASKA THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

THE LOW SOUTH OF DUTCH HARBOR WILL DISSIPATE INTO A TROUGH
TONIGHT. THE WEAK FRONT OVER THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY AND KENAI
PENINSULA WILL BECOME DIFFUSE OVER THE CENTRAL INTERIOR TONIGHT.
THE GUSTY WINDS OVER TURNAGAIN ARM AND THE UPPER HILLSIDE WILL
WILL DIMINISH A BIT LATER TONIGHT.

A 983 MB LOW 350 MILES SOUTH OF THE ALASKA PENINSULA WILL MOVE
NORTH INTO BRISTOL BAY MONDAY NIGHT AND WILL DISSIPATE OVER THE
KUSKOKWIM DELTA TUESDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH
KODIAK ISLAND...BRISTOL BAY AND THE KENAI PENINSULA MONDAY AND
DISSIPATE OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST INTERIOR MONDAY NIGHT.
MORE RAIN AND SOME GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECT ALONG THE BRISTOL
BAY..CENTRAL GULF COAST..KENAI PENINSULA AND KODIAK ISLAND
MONDAY.

A THIRD LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO TO MOVE INTO THE GULF
OF ALASKA MONDAY NIGHT AND INTO THE SUSITNA VALLEY TUESDAY.

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE ANCHOR RIVER.
MARINE...GALE 2B..3ABC.

NM NOV 02

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns

When: November 25, 7:00 AM AST to 3:00 PM AST
Where: Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: November 26, 3:05 AM AST to November 27, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured: 72 kt (83 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, 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: 5319161, 5319160.