High Wind — City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska

2023-12-12 · City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska

Event narrative

A long duration wind event saw the Sitka ASOS reporting wind gusts approaching high winds through much of the day, with a peak during the early evening the Sitka Airport measuring a gust of 63 mph at 657 PM AKST. Social media reports later mentioned at least two trees down on houses, including on Halibut Point Rd. Earlier in the day around the noon hour, local law enforcement reported a boat adrift and some items being washed away. Wind gusts of around 45 mph were occurring at the time of peak high astronomical tide.

Wider weather episode

A strong system comprised of two waves moving north, brought high winds across the panhandle. The second wave was stronger, and was responsible for the bulk of the high winds. Accumulating snow was also recorded in the northern panhandle. A long fetch of moisture accompanied this system and high astronomical tides during the period of high winds resulted in minor coastal flooding impacts.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1154048. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.