High Wind and Strong Wind in Alaska, January 19 to 20, 2004

Name: High Wind and Strong Wind in Alaska, January 19 to 20, 2004
Start: 2004-01-19T14:36
End: 2004-01-20T21:36
Location: Alaska

January 19 to 20, 2004 · NWS AFG · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Zone 223: At Dry Creek, the Co-operative Observer reported damaging winds as some siding was blown off of an aircraft hanger. The Delta Junction ASOS reported a peak gust of 51 knots (59 mph).

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $500
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.

Strong high pressure over the Arctic Ocean and over the Yukon Territory of Canada combined with a low pressure center just south of the Alaska Peninsula and another center in the Gulf of Alaska produced locally strong winds.High winds were reported at:Zone 207: Point HopeAWOS peak gust 57 knots (66 mph).Zone 212: Unalakleet AWOS peak gust 58 knots (67 mph).Zone 223: At Dry Creek, the Co-operative Observer reported damaging winds as some siding was blown off of an aircraft hanger. The Delta Junction ASOS reported a peak gust of 51 knots (59 mph).

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 Jan 19, 2:30 PM AST, 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 19, 2:30 PM AST, 6 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM AST MON JAN 19 2004

.DISCUSSION...

SURFACE: LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE NORTH OVER KODIAK THIS EVENING
THEN DISSIPATE OVER SOUTHWESTERN ALASKA TUESDAY. ANOTHER LOW
PRESSURE WILL MOVE NORTH OF THE ALEUTIANS TUESDAY NIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY. ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...THE CENTER OF LOW PRESSURE
WILL EXTEND FROM BETHEL TO THE PRIBILOFS. AN ASSOCIATED OCCLUDED
FRONT WILL MOVE NORTH OF THE ALASKA RANGE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. BY
THURSDAY MORNING THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM NEAR SAINT LAWRENCE
ISLAND TO NORTON SOUND TO GALENA AND EAST OVER THE INTERIOR. HIGH
PRESSURE CENTERED AT 75.2N/178.8W WILL DRIFT A LITTLE WESTWARD
THIS WEEK.

UPPER AIR: LOW PRESSURE OVER SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND AND SAINT
MATTHEW ISLAND WILL DRIFT SOUTHWESTWARD THROUGH TUESDAY THEN
REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A RIDGE WILL BUILD
OVER WESTERN CANADA AND BY TUESDAY NIGHT WILL BE WELL INTO THE
INTERIOR. ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE WEST AND BUILD OVER
SIBERIA.

NORTH SLOPE: DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE. NORTHEAST WINDS SHOULD
GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH THURSDAY AS ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE MOVES
WEST. WINDS WILL AGAIN INCREASE FRIDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH
THE WEEKEND AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS BETWEEN LOW PRESSURE
OVER THE NORTHERN BERING SEA AND HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ARCTIC.

WEST COAST: HIGH WINDS WILL CONTINUE AT POINT HOPE FOR SOME TIME
NOW. WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH THURSDAY AS BOTH ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE
AND NORTHERN BERING SEA LOW PRESSURE DRIFT WEST. A CHANCE FOR SNOW
WILL DEVELOP TUESDAY AFTERNOON AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES NORTH OF THE
ALEUTIANS TOWARD THE PRIBILOFS. A BETTER CHANCE FOR SNOW WILL
OCCUR THURSDAY MORNING AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES NORTH TO BETWEEN
SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND AND SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND.

INTERIOR: UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING OVER WESTERN CANADA TO THE
INTERIOR WILL PUT AN END TO THE SHORT LIVED COLD SNAP. A CHANCE OF
SNOW WILL START NORTH OF THE ALASKA RANGE TONIGHT AS LOW PRESSURE
MOVES NORTH OF KODIAK. A CHANCE FOR SNOW OVER THE REST OF THE
INTERIOR BUT SOUTH OF THE BROOKS RANGE WILL OCCUR TUESDAY. AN
OCCLUDED FRONT MOVING NORTH OVER THE INTERIOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND
THURSDAY WILL GIVE A BETTER CHANCE FOR SNOW.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING ZONE 207 CHUKCHI SEA COAST.
         WIND CHILL WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
            ZONE 205 NORTHWESTERN BROOKS RANGE.
            ZONE 218 NORTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE SOUTHEASTERN
                BROOKS RANGE.
            ZONE 207 CHUKCHI SEA COAST.
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
            ZONE 219 UPPER KOYUKUK VALLEY.
            ZONE 220 YUKON FLATS AND SURROUNDING UPLANDS.
            ZONE 221 CENTRAL INTERIOR.
            ZONE 222 MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY.
            ZONE 223 DELTANA AND TANANA FLATS
            ZONE 208 LOWER KOBUK AND NOATAK VALLEYS.
            ZONE 209 BALDWIN PENINSULA AND SELAWIK VALLEY.
            ZONE 216 LOWER YUKON VALLEY.
            ZONE 217 UPPER KOBUK AND NOATAK VALLEYS.
WIND ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
            ZONE 219 UPPER KOYUKUK VALLEY.
            ZONE 220 YUKON FLATS AND SURROUNDING UPLANDS.
            ZONE 221 CENTRAL INTERIOR.
            ZONE 222 MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY.
BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
            ZONE 219 UPPER KOYUKUK VALLEY.
            ZONE 220 YUKON FLATS AND SURROUNDING UPLANDS.
            ZONE 221 CENTRAL INTERIOR.
            ZONE 222 MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY.

MARINE...GALE WARNING AREA 9B DALL POINT TO WALES.
         BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
            AREA 9A NORTON SOUND.
            AREA 10B WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE.
            AREA 11B CAPE HALKETT TO DEMARCATION POINT.

DA JAN 04

Event by event

2 high wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Chukchi Sea Coast

When: January 19, 2:36 PM AST to January 20, 9:36 PM AST
Where: Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Deltana and Tanana

When: January 19, 10:20 PM AST to January 20, 6:53 AM AST
Where: Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $500
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills

When: January 19, 10:56 PM AST to January 20, 1:56 AM AST
Where: Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
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.
Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, January 2004

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: 5381298, 5381300, 5381299.