Alaska, 2002

High Wind in Alaska, November 30, 2002

November 30, 2002 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A small low pressure center formed north of Delta Junction while a ridge of high pressure existed to the south over the Copper River Basin. This created high winds at the Delta Junction ASOS, which reported gust to 50 mph from the south.

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.

A small low pressure center formed north of Delta Junction while a ridge of high pressure existed to the south over the Copper River Basin. This created high winds at the Delta Junction ASOS, which reported gust to 50 mph from the south.

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 30, 4:10 AM AST, 3 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 30, 4:10 AM AST, 3 hours 1 minute before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
410 AM AST SAT NOV 30 2002

LATEST MODEL RUN SHOWS LONG WAVE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE, EXTENDING NORTH
OVER PACIFIC COAST TO NORTHWESTERN CANADA, CONTINUING THROUGH NEXT
WEEK. BEGINNING NEXT WEEKEND, THERE IS A HINT ON THE MRF RUN THAT
HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ARCTIC MAY PUMP SOME COLDER AIR SOUTH OVER THE
NORTHEASTERN INTERIOR.

IN THE NEAR TERM, LOW PRESSURE NEAR KIVALINA THIS MORNING WILL MOVE
NORTH OF BARROW THIS AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. COLD AIR WILL PUSH EASTWARD
IN THE WAKE OF THE LOW. AT 300 AM THIS AFTERNOON A COLD FRONT IS
FORECAST ALONG A LINE FROM THE NORTH COAST TO SOUTH OVER TANANA TO
A LOW NEAR ANCHORAGE. THE FRONT WILL MOVE EAST OF MACKENZIE BAY AND
SOUTHEAST OF NORTHWAY BY SUNDAY MORNING. ANY POSSIBILITY OF FREEZING
RAIN WILL END AFTER THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. HIGH PRESSURE WILL
BUILD IN BEHIND THE FRONT. LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW OF AROUND AN
INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THE COLD AIR MOVES EAST AND SOUTH. CERTAINLY
NOTHING WIDESPREAD IS EXPECTED.

FOR THE WEST COAST, A FEW LINGERING FLURRIES OR SNOW SHOWERS TODAY
FROM THE BERING STRAIT COAST TO CHUKCHI SEA AND KOTZEBUE SOUND.
OTHERWISE THE TREND IS FOR DECREASING CLOUDS AND WINDS THROUGH SUNDAY.

THE NEXT LOW TO CHALLENGE OUR WEST COAST MARINE AND LAND AREAS WILL
APPROACH THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS NEAR NIKOLSKI SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT.
THE AVN IS SHOWING VERY WINDY CONDITIONS DEVELOPING OVER SAINT LAWRENCE
ISLAND SUNDAY NIGHT. THE POSSIBILITY OF SNOW BY MONDAY MORNING MAY
CAUSE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS FOR SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND AND THE BERING
STRAIT COAST, THOUGH THE WEATHER WILL BECOME QUITE WARM. THE BLIZZARD
POSSIBILITY WILL BE A MAJOR FOCUS FOR THE WEST DESK. ON THE INTERIOR
DESK ANOTHER ROUND OF WINDS COULD DEVELOP SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY OVER
THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF THE ALASKA RANGE AND DELTANA.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY

.PUBLIC...
NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS AT THIS TIME.

.MARINE...
HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 9B, DALL POINT TO WALES INCLUDING THE SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND
        WATERS.
    AREA 10B, WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 14, SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND WATERS.
    AREA 9B, DALL POINT TO WALES INCLUDING THE SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND
        WATERS.
    AREA 10B, WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY AREA 11B, CAPE HALKETT TO DEMARCATION POINT.

DA NOV 02

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Deltana and Tanana

When
November 30, 7:11 AM AST to 8:59 AM AST
Where
Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Measured
43 kt (49 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

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: 5322446.