High Wind in Western Arctic Coast, Alaska

Winds increased during the morning hours of October 20th, with frequent gusts greater than 60 mph, and sustained winds near 50 mph. Wind gusts reached 98 mph at Cape Lisburne (PALU) during the evening hours of the 20th. High winds continued through the early afternoon hours of the 21st and then diminished.

A major fall storm quickly pushed across northern Alaska between October 20th and 23rd, with the low itself moving all the way inland. The storm brought coastal flooding, high winds, heavy precipitation, and a mix of precipitation, including a rain-snow mix and freezing rain. Over higher elevations in the Brooks Range, snow amounts approached 2 feet, with 12 to 15 inches across the higher elevation Interior regions above 2000 feet. As the front pushed across the West Coast, south to southwest winds across coastal locations gusted to greater than 55 mph, with winds in excess of 65 mph occurring over the Bering and Chukchi coastal sites. These strong south to southwest winds pushes a surge of water all along the West Coast, with surge values of 4 to 10 feet above mean higher high water, highest near Kotzebue and in eastern Norton Sound, resulting in coastal flooding. A 12 to 15 mb gradient across the Alaska Range resulted in strong and gusty south winds through the Alaska Range passes with gusts to 65 mph.