High Wind — City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska

2026-01-09 · City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska

Event narrative

The Sitka Airport ASOS measured high winds out of the east to southeast through the afternoon of the 9th along with moderate rain. The peak wind gust of 66kt (76mph) happened at 255pm followed by high sustained winds of around 40mph with a wind shift to the south around 5-6pm. The Sitka AML dock measured a peak gust of 50.2kt (58mph) at 551pm.

Wider weather episode

An atmospheric river brought snow followed by high winds, warming temperatures and heavy rain to the panhandle January 8th and 9th. A low pressure center developed along a triple point front as it tracked NE across the western Gulf of Alaska on the 9th. The low center deepened to 960mb as it approached the northern Gulf and the frontal system brought a period of high winds to the central and southern panhandle. This system brought with it heavy snow across the north, followed by a significant warm-up, heavy rain, localized flooding due to previous heavy snow blocking drainages, and avalanches. The flooding falls into the advisory level, but the rain was an additional impact due to the added weight of the snow on structures. Disaster declarations were expanded to more communities across the northern panhandle after this storm.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1317545. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.