Alaska, 2002

High Wind in Alaska, October 29 to 30, 2002

October 29 to 30, 2002 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$50,000
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 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 Oct 29, 12:54 AM AST, 10 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 29, 12:54 AM AST, 10 hours 11 minutes before
SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
1200 PM AST MON OCT 28 2002

ANALYSIS...MODELS O.K.

FORECASTS...A 968 MB LOW SOUTH OF THE ALASKA PENINSULA WILL JUST
SOUTH OF NUNIVAK ISLAND TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND TO NEAR THE GULF OF
ANADYR AND WEAKEN TO 991 MB WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE FRONT WILL
REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY OVER THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY AND NEAR
KENNEDY ENTRANCE THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON THEN WILL DRIFT INTO
THE SUSITNA VALLEY AND KENAI PENINSULA TUESDAY NIGHT AND WILL
DISSIPATE OVER PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND THE COPPER RIVER BASIN
WEDNESDAY.

THE STRONG WINDS WILL PERSIST OVER THE KENAI PENINSULA, KODIAK
ISLAND, BRISTOL BAY AND EASTERN ALEUTIANS TONIGHT AND WILL SLOWLY
DIMINISH TUESDAY. RAIN WIL CONTINUE OVER KENAI PENINSULA AND
PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND THROUGH TUESDAY AND WILL BECOME SHOWERS
BEHIND THE FRONT.

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF ANCHORAGE
AND TURNAGAIN ARM, PORTAGE VALLEY AND CORDOVA.
FLOOD WARNING FOR THE UPPER KENAI RIVER. FLOOD WATCH FOR EASTERN
KENAI MOUNTAINS AND LOWER KENAI RIVER.
MARINE...SEE MARINE FORECAST.

NM OCT 02

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When
October 29, 11:05 AM AST to October 30, 2:00 AM AST
Where
Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured
83 kt (96 mph)
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

A tight pressure gradient across the Anchorage area caused by strong low pressure to the west and high pressure building in from Canada produced winds in excess of 60 mph along Turnagain Arm and on the Anchorage Hillside. Some damage was reported in the Rabbit Creek area on the Anchorage Hillside where southeast winds peaked at 78 mph. The majority of damage caused by falling trees in the Sand Lake and Jewel Lake areas occurred with winds in the 45 to 50 mph range.

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, October 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: 5319932.