High Wind in Alaska, September 12 to 14, 2002

Name: High Wind in Alaska, September 12 to 14, 2002
Start: 2002-09-12T09:00
End: 2002-09-14T00:51
Location: Alaska

September 12 to 14, 2002 · NWS AFG · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Zone 225: Amateur Radio operator reported 47 Knots (54 mph). Zone 226: Pilot Report of 50 knots near Donnelly Dome at 2200 feet above the ground; estimated surface wind was near 50 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.

A low pressure center moved from Bristol Bay north over the Kuskokwim Delta and caused strong winds to occur over the Alaska Range and nearby areas, including Delta Junction.High Winds reported:Zone 223: Delta Junction ASOS reported the highest gust as 55 mph.Zone 225: Amateur Radio operator reported 47 Knots (54 mph). Zone 226: Pilot Report of 50 knots near Donnelly Dome at 2200 feet above the ground; estimated surface wind was near 50 mph. Another Pilot report at 2500 feet above the ground noted wind speed to 55 knots out of the pass. Another pilot reported at 1500 feet above the ground at the northwest corner of zone 226, wind speeds of 50 knots.

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 Sep 12, 7:59 AM AST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 12, 7:59 AM AST, 1 hour 1 minute before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
400 AM ADT THU SEP 12 2002

THE MODEL OF CHOICE FOR THE ONGOING WEATHER EVENT HAS BEEN THE AVN.
IT SHOWS GOOD CONTINUITY WITH THE PREVIOUS RUN UNTIL 400 AM SUNDAY.
THE PRIOR RUN SHOWED AN UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE CHUKCHI SEA WITH
LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING AT THE SURFACE UNDERNEATH AT 400 AM SUNDAY.
THE NEW RUN HAS THE UPPER LOW FURTHER SOUTH OVER THE NORTHERN BERING
SEA WITH THE SURFACE LOW DEVELOPING UNDERNEATH. THIS SITUATION, OF
COURSE, SET THE STAGE FOR A NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE
MID RANGE WITH FURTHER DIVERGENCE FROM THE OLD RUN IN THE EXTENDED
PERIOD. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF WHY WE SHOULD BE CONSERVATIVE
WITH CHANGES IN THE MID TO EXTENDED RANGE FORECAST BASED ON MODEL
SWINGS.

THE ALASKA REGIONAL COORDINATION SURFACE MAP DEPICTS FAIRLY STRONG
LOW PRESSURE 150 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SAINT PAUL ISLAND. THE LOW WILL
STRENGTHEN A LITTLE MORE TODAY AND AT 400 PM THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE
NEAR CAPE ROMANZOF. THE LOW WILL BEGIN TO GRADUALLY WEAKEN AS IT MOVES
INLAND TONIGHT. AT 400 AM FRIDAY IT WILL BE OVER EASTERN NORTON SOUND.
GOING OUT TO 60 HOURS TO 400 AM SATURDAY, THE COORDINATION MAP SHOWS
THE LOW EAST OF KALTAG. ALSO AT 400 AM SATURDAY, ANOTHER LOW, 150
MILES NORTHWEST OF BARTER ISLAND, WILL BE DEEPENING.

A DEVELOPING CHINOOK WIND OVER NORTHERN SLOPES OF THE ALASKA RANGE
WILL CAUSE WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING
TONIGHT FOR ZONES 223...225 AND 226. THE LATEST RUN OF THE AVN SUPPORTS
THIS FORECAST WITH A TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AS THE CENTER OF LOW
PRESSURE MOVES INLAND OVER SOUTHWESTERN ALASKA THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT. HOWEVER, THE TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE ALASKA RANGE
WILL BE INTERRUPTED AS LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS AND RAPIDLY INTENSIFIES
OVER THE NORTHWESTERN GULF OF ALASKA FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. CHINOOK
WINDS WILL QUICKLY ABATE FRIDAY NIGHT.

THE APPROACHING LOW PRESSURE PASSED NORTH OF SAINT PAUL ISLAND AT
900 PM WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WINDS AT SAINT PAUL DID A NEARLY 180 DEGREE
SHIFT FROM EAST TO WEST AND THE PRESSURE HAS BEEN RISING SHARPLY.
EAST WINDS HAVE GUST TO 36 KNOTS ON NUNIVAK ISLAND AT MEKORYUK.
EAST WINDS OVER THE YUKON DELTA AND NORTON SOUND AREA HAVE BEGUN TO
RISE.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY

PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
    ZONE 223 DELTANA
    ZONE 225 DENALI
    ZONE 226 NORTHERN SLOPES OF THE EASTERN ALASKA RANGE.

GALE WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 14, SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND NORTHWARD
    AREA 9B, DALL POINT TO WALES INCLUDING THE SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND
        WATERS.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 14, SOUTH OF SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND
    AREA 9A. NORTON SOUND FROM SLEDGE ISLAND TO NUNAKTUK ISLAND
    AREA 10B, WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE.

DA SEP 02

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Denali

When: September 12, 9:00 AM AST to September 13, 6:00 PM AST
Where: Denali forecast zone
Measured: 47 kt (54 mph)
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

High Wind, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When: September 12, 10:37 AM AST to September 13, 10:00 PM AST
Where: Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by: AIRPLANE PILOT

High Wind, Deltana and Tanana

When: September 12, 1:56 PM AST to September 14, 12:51 AM AST
Where: Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Measured: 48 kt (55 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, September 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: 5317734, 5317788, 5317733.