High Wind — Prince of Wales Island, Alaska

2023-12-12 · Prince of Wales Island, Alaska

Event narrative

Two separate waves brought periods of windy conditions to Prince of Wales Island, with the second wave resulting in a power outage which affected Hollis and Klawock. A gust of 54 mph was observed by the Thorne Bay RAWS site at 254pm and the FAA webcam at Kasaan saw sustained winds over 40 mph between 1 to 3pm. The Klawock ASOS measured a peak gust of 48 mph at 519pm and the Hydaburg AWOS was down at the time.

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 1154051. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.