High Wind — Eastern Norton Sound and Nulato Hills, Alaska

2026-01-04 to 2026-01-05 · Eastern Norton Sound and Nulato Hills, Alaska

Event narrative

The Unalakleet AWOS (PAUN) site first met high wind criteria on 1/4/26 at 19:56L reporting 48 mph sustained winds, gusting to 60 mph. The AWOS site reported a peak observation at 21:56L on 1/4/26 of 49 mph sustained winds, gusting to 64 mph.

Wider weather episode

A low pressure system in the southern Bering Sea moved northeast over the Aleutian Islands bringing widespread snow showers and gusty north/northeast winds to much of southeast Alaska and parts of the Western Interior. The front on the leading edge of the Bering Sea low initiated the first waves of snowfall in the southeast Interior, while gusty north/northeast winds strengthened on the western side of the low. Falling snow and gusty winds created long-lasting blizzard conditions to coastal areas along the Lower Yukon. The strongest winds settled over St. Lawrence Island and along the Norton Sound coastline as the low moved further inland.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1313599. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.