Marine High Wind — Stephens Passage, Gulf of Alaska

2023-04-09 · near Cape Fanshaw, Stephens Passage, Gulf of Alaska

Event narrative

The burst of high winds tracked northward from the Cape Fanshaw area, up Stephens Passage, and through Gastineau Channel. The FAA webcam at Grave Point, a little more than half way up the channel, measured a max sustained wind of 53 mph at 320pm AKDT (site does not measure gusts) and Point Arden saw a peak of 72 mph. This was followed by the AML Dock along Gastineau Channel in Juneau seeing a peak gust of 60 mph at 432pm and the airport, which includes a seaplane dock, seeing a peak gust of 71mph in the same hour. All of these locations observed these peak gusts after a sudden shift to the south from a light northerly.

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.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (57.3727, -133.5118)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1101994. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.