PlainHazard

Alaska high wind and dust storms

Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 28 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 3,842 high wind and dust records in Alaska from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 104 a year since 2000. The costliest was the March 13, 2003 high wind ($17.6 million in 2025 dollars). Alaska ranks 9th of 52 states and territories by count and 49th of 51 per square mile.

High wind and dust storms in Alaska, 1996 to 2026

Wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
3,8421996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
104average
Deaths
020 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$74Mas filed
Busiest year
1999337 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are high wind and dust records common in Alaska?

Alaska averages about 104 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 9th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1999 (337). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Alaska records 67 high wind and dust records since 1996, 49th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Rhode Island 7061
  2. 2. New Jersey 4882
  3. 3. Massachusetts 4776
  4. 4. Delaware 3705
  5. 5. Maryland 1330
  6. 6. Connecticut 1301
  7. 7. Vermont 1178
  8. 8. Hawaii 1067
  9. 9. New York 1028
  10. 10. Wyoming 900
  11. 49. Alaska 67

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Alaska have the most high wind and dust records?

Per square mile, Skagway Municipality leads Alaska: 135 days with a high wind record since 1996, 304.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Hoonah-Angoon Census Area has the most wind records (884 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Skagway Municipality 304.8 (137)
  2. Anchorage Municipality 154.1 (324)
  3. Sitka City and Borough 128.2 (489)
  4. Juneau City and Borough 112.5 (319)
  5. Hoonah-Angoon Census Area 96.9 (884)
  6. Wrangell City and Borough 73.2 (225)
  7. Haines Borough 66.8 (163)
  8. Aleutians West Census Area 56.9 (304)
  9. Petersburg Borough 55.8 (183)
  10. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area 50.5 (437)
  11. Ketchikan Gateway Borough 39.9 (203)
  12. Kodiak Island Borough 21.4 (165)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the windy season in Alaska?

Alaska's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is November (580 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 579 · Feb 466 · Mar 364 · Apr 296 · May 125 · Jun 37 · Jul 36 · Aug 104 · Sep 253 · Oct 426 · Nov 580 · Dec 576 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

The costliest high wind and dust records in Alaska

Alaska: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2003-03-13 High WindAnchorage Municipality · forecast zone Anchorage Muni To Bird Creek One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. 86 kt wind 0 2 $18M
2000-08-10 High WindArctic Slope Coastal · forecast zone Arctic Slope Coastal 70 kt wind 0 0 $13M
2005-01-09 High WindNorth Slope Borough · forecast zone Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast 65 kt wind 0 0 $12M
2015-12-12 High WindAleutians West Census Area · forecast zone Pribilof Islands 114 kt wind 0 0 $6.2M
2022-01-01 High WindAnchorage Municipality and Matanuska-Susitna Borough · forecast zone Matanuska Valley 79 kt wind 0 0 $2.0M
2011-12-03 High WindAnchorage Municipality · forecast zone Anchorage Muni To Bird Creek 103 kt wind 0 0 $2.0M
2002-11-05 High WindKenai Peninsula Borough and Kodiak Island Borough · forecast zone Kodiak Peninsula 70 kt wind 0 0 $1.6M
2022-07-25 Strong WindFairbanks North Star Borough and Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area · forecast zone Middle Tanana Valley 38 kt wind 0 2 $1.4M

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in Alaska?

Alaska's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

High wind and dust storms: Alaska and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeAlaskaUnited StatesAlaska's share
1996-991,10614,0267.9%
2000s1,58437,2544.3%
2010s70741,7481.7%
2020-2644536,3001.2%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent high wind and dust records in Alaska

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-05-14 High WindAleutians East Borough · forecast zone Alaska Peninsula 72 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-01 High WindSoutheast Fairbanks Census Area · forecast zone Delta Junction 66 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-01 High WindAnchorage Municipality · forecast zone Anchorage Hillside / Upper Eagle River 75 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-30 High WindDenali Borough · forecast zone Northern Denali Borough 65 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-22 High WindSoutheast Fairbanks Census Area · forecast zone Eastern Alaska Range North Of Trims Camp 63 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-07 High WindHoonah-Angoon Census Area · forecast zone Cape Fairweather To Lisianski Strait 67 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-07 High WindHoonah-Angoon Census Area · forecast zone Glacier Bay 53 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-06 High WindSkagway Municipality · forecast zone Municipality Of Skagway 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-02-25 High WindKodiak Island Borough · forecast zone Kodiak Island Northeast 68 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-02-25 High WindKenai Peninsula Borough · forecast zone Southern Kenai Mountains / Seward 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-02-20 High WindMatanuska-Susitna Borough · forecast zone Lower Matanuska Valley 87 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-02-19 High WindValdez-Cordova Census Area · forecast zone Thompson Pass 84 kt wind 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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