High Wind in St. Lawrence Island, Alaska

Strong southerly winds developed over Saint Lawrence Island during the afternoon of December 21st and continued to remain very gusty all the way into December 24th. Gamble reported a numerous gusts in excess of 60 mph with a maximum gust on December 24th of 78 mph. The community of Savoonga experienced a freezing spray event with ice coating windows, buildings, and powerlines and poles. Many power outages were reported in Savoonga due to downed power lines and poles.

On December 20th a strong surface low tracked across the Alaska Peninsula and into the southern Bering Sea. This low eventually tracked into the Bering Strait while a large area of high pressure was anchored over eastern Siberia. The resulting pressure gradient induced very strong southerly winds through the Bering Strait.