Marine High Wind — Northern Lynn Canal, Gulf of Alaska

2023-04-09 · near Point Retreat, Northern Lynn Canal, Gulf of Alaska

Event narrative

The burst of high winds tracked northward from the Juneau to Icy Strait area, and up through Lynn Canal. Winds peaked at 53 mph at Rocky Island and 51 mph at Little Island, then topping out at 59 mph at Eldred Rock. More impactful would have been that all of the observation points noted the 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 → (58.2107, -134.9353)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1101996. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.