High Wind — City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska

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

Event narrative

Two separate waves resulted in two periods of windy conditions for Juneau, with the second, during the late afternoon and evening of December 12, being the strongest. The first wave in the morning saw high winds at elevation sites and caused multiple reports of downed trees and power outages out the road from Lena Point north. The Forest Service closed access to the Otter Way parking area due to fallen trees and unstable soil conditions. Peak wind at the Juneau airport of 66 mph was measured at 516pm local time. The AML dock downtown had a peak gust of 63mph in the same hour. Broken power poles and outages continued into the evening.

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 1154049. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.