High Wind — Petersburg Borough, Alaska

2023-04-09 · Petersburg Borough, Alaska

Event narrative

Reports were received that a storm blew trees onto Mitkof Highway and snapped two power poles near the Crystal Lake Hydroelectric Plant. The bulk of the damage occurred between 3 and 18 mile Mitkof Highway. around approximately 12:30 PM AKDT (11:30 AM AKST). Customers in that area were without power on Easter Sunday for more than 5 hours.

Wider weather episode

A shortwave moving around a broader low in the Gulf of Alaska saw an embedded band of convective activity develop with strong cold air advection behind it, which resulted in an area of enhanced winds which tracked northward across the Inside Passage.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1096440. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.