High Wind in Southern Southeast Alaska Ernest Sound To Dixon Entrance, Alaska

The low that brought high winds to Southeast Alaska beginning on Friday night January 3, stalled off shore. A series of frontal waves rotating around the Low swept through the Panhandle on Sunday January 5. The strongest and last of these frontal waves moved northward through Southeast Alaska Sunday evening. Once again advisory criteria winds occurred throughout much of the Panhandle. Hurricane force wind gusts were measured in the Ketchikan area and caused significant tree damage, power outages and even caused some damage in the harbor. Peak wind gusts to 81 mph were measured on top of the Ketchikan airport terminal (about 4 stories above the ground). In the Ketchikan harbor, peak wind gusts reached 75 mph. The Hydaburg AWOS recorded a peak wind gust to 60 mph.