High Wind in Alaska, November 5, 2002

Name: High Wind in Alaska, November 5, 2002
Start: 2002-11-05T15:53
End: 2002-11-05T21:00
Location: Alaska

November 5, 2002 · NWS AJK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

High winds resulted from a southerly swell along the Northeast Gulf Coast from Cape Suckling to Point Manby. Several automated remote sensors detected peak wind gusts to 52 knots (60 mph).

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 AJK wrote it up.

High winds resulted from a southerly swell along the Northeast Gulf Coast from Cape Suckling to Point Manby. Several automated remote sensors detected peak wind gusts to 52 knots (60 mph). No damage nor injuries were reported along this largely unihabited stretch of coastline.

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 Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 5, 3:50 PM AST, 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 5, 3:50 PM AST, 3 minutes before

SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
1045 AM AST TUE NOV 5 2002

.SYNOPSIS...
.SHORT RANGE...
THE MAIN LOW IN THE WESTERN GULF WILL MOVE TO THE NORTHWEST AND
BE OVER WESTERN ALASKA TONIGHT. THE UPPER LEVEL TROF IN THE NORTH
PACIFIC AT 18Z WILL ROTATE NORTHWARD AROUND THE MAIN UPPER LOW
OVER THE ALEUTIANS TODAY. THIS TROF WILL PUSH THE UPPER LEVEL
RIDGE TO THE NORTH THROUGH THE DAY AND WILL INCREASE THE CHANCE
OF RAIN FOR THE NORTHERN INNER CHANNELS FOR THE EVENING.

AS THE WEAK SURFACE RIDGE MOVES EAST INTO CANADA AND THE FRONT
MOVES CLOSER...A WEAK OFFSHORE WIND WILL SET UP. THE RAIN WILL BE
LIGHT FOR MOST OF THE THE PANHANDLE EXCEPT FOR THE SOUTHERN
HALF...AS THE WARM SECTION OF THE FRONTAL STRUCTURE WILL AFFECT
THEM THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THE RAIN WILL MOVE TO THE NORTH BY
EVENING AND WIDESPREAD RAIN WILL SPREAD NORTHWARD OVERNIGHT. FOR
THE PAYA AREA THEY WILL BE IN THE RAIN ALL DAY LONG.

AS FOR THE WINDS...THE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH
THE DAY OVER THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE PANHANDLE AS THE PRESSURE
GRADIENT INCREASES WITH THE APPROACHING FRONT. THESE WINDS WILL
SPREAD NORTH OVER NIGHT. MOST OF THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL REMAIN
NEAR PAYA...MAINLY WEST OF ICY BAY WHERE A WIND ADVISORY WILL
STAY IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT. WILL KEEP STORMS OUT ON THE
EASTERN GULF COAST AND GALES FOR CROSS SOUND AND SMCA FOR THE
INNER CHANNELS EXCEPT FOR LYNN CANAL.

.LONG RANGE...NOT TOO MUCH DIFFERENCE THROUGH THE MEDIUM RANGE
PORTION OF THE FORECAST. STRONG ZONAL JET MOVING ACROSS THE NORTH
PACIFIC WITH ACTIVE WEATHER SYSTEMS IN AND SOUTH OF THE GLFAK.
FIRST STRONG LOW OVER THE WESTERN GULF ROTATING BACK TO THE NW
AROUND UPPER LOW OVER THE ALEUTIANS. FRONT WITH THIS LOW CENTER
MOVING THROUGH THE PANHANDLE EARLY WED. GALE/STORM WINDS DROPPING
OFF RAPIDLY WED BEHIND FRONT. NEXT DEVELOPING LOW WILL BE CUTTING
OFF AROUND 50N/140W WED WITH WEAK RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE
PANHANDLE. THAT PICKS UP EASTERLY WINDS OVER THE GLFAK AGAIN AND
NORTHEAST WINDS OVER THE PANHANDLE. THE RESULTING OFFSHORE FLOW
WILL DRY OUT THE AREA WED NIGHT AND THU.

DIFFERENCES BEGIN SHOWING UP LATER IN THE WEEK. AVN SHOWS UPPER
LOW MOVING WEST THROUGH CANADA AND SETTLING IN OVER THE NORTH
GULF COAST FOR THE WEEKEND. THAT WOULD BRING QUITE A BIT COLDER
AIR OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA AND KEEP THINGS
MOSTLY DRY. MRF WAS EVEN MORE AGRESSIVE...DEVELOPING 977 LOW OVER
THE CENTRAL GULF BY SUN WHICH LOOKS OVERDONE. EUROPEAN MODELS
KEEP LOW MOVING OUT OF CANADA MUCH WEAKER AND FURTHER NORTH.
THAT ALLOWS CUTOFF LOW SOUTH OF THE GULF TO DRIFT NORTH INTO THE
EASTERN GULF WITH RAIN LIKELY AGAIN FOR THE WEEKEND. AVN/MRF NOT
SHOWING GOOD RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY AND CONFIDENCE IS LOW IN
THEM. FOR NOW WILL STICK WITH MAINLY DRY WEATHER THROUGH FRI BUT
WITH RAIN LIKELY AGAIN FOR THE WEEKEND.

.AJK...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
PUBLIC...WIND ADVISORY...ZONE 22
MARINE...STORM 2A 1B
         GALES CROSS SOUND
         SMC 1A2 1A3

ABJ/PES

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Cape Decision to Cape Fairweather-Coastal Area

When: November 5, 3:53 PM AST to 9:00 PM AST
Where: Cape Decision to Cape Fairweather-Coastal Area forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: COASTAL OBSERVING STATION

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: 5322344.