High Wind — Kuskokwim Valley, Alaska

1998-02-23 · Kuskokwim Valley, Alaska

Wider weather episode

A very intense 941mb storm crossed the Aleutians about 90 miles west of Amchitka at 9am Sunday from its origins in the western North Pacific. Winds of 92 mph were recorded by the M/V "Hekabe" (which temporarily lost power in 40 foot seas just southwest of Adak as a result of the storm). Reported winds along the Aleutians were reported as high as 70 mph (in gusts) on Sunday and Monday, slowly diminishing Tuesday. Winds at Saint Paul gusted up to 54 mph on Sunday just before 6pm, producing blizzard conditions in snow and blowing snow. Winds at Cold Bay gusted between 43 and 59 mph (Sunday at 5:50pm) from Sunday through Tuesday night. At Cape Newenham, gusts reached 54 mph very early Monday and 58 mph at Cape Romanzof between 3 and 5am on the same day. Prefrontal easterly winds gusted to 70 mph between 7:30 and 8pm Monday and to 52 mph between midnight and 1am Tuesday at the Portage ASOS. At Middleton Island, just south of the entrance to Prince William Sound, prefrontal winds reached 58 mph.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5628695. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.