High Wind — Northern Lynn Canal, Alaska

2003-01-22 to 2003-01-24 · Northern Lynn Canal, Alaska

Wider weather episode

A fairly common weather pattern, from late fall through early spring, is when a strong off shore (east-northeast) pressure gradient develops across Southeast Alaska. This pattern often generates high winds, especially out of the eastern inlets and passes that dot the Canadian Border. This pattern also results in clear skies, very cold temperatures, dangerous wind chills and heavy freezing spray. It is an arctic outbreak. In the Juneau area, due to the mountainous terrain being perpendicular to Taku Inlet, a mountain wave/downslope high wind event is able to develop. This local, terrain induced event is known as the "Taku Winds." From Wednesday January 22 into Saturday morning January 25, a strong off shore pressure gradient developed across Southeast Alaska. The interior surface High peaked near 1058mb over the Northwest Territories. A low as deep as 986mb was over the North Pacific to create a synoptic scale pressure gradient of 72mb. At the onset of this three day high wind event, some damage occurred on the docks in downtown Juneau. The Taku winds lifted four 10,000 pound freight containers from a docked barge, breaking the chains that held them down, and dumped them into Gastineau Channel. Aside from that, only minor tree damage was reported during this time. Some measured peak wind gusts were 68 mph at both the Juneau Rock Dump (southern portion of downtown) and in Lynn Canal, and 76 mph on the Grey Islet sensor at the mouth of Portland Inlet. Mariners reported gusts in excess of 70 mph and heavy freezing spray at the mouth of Taku Inlet.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5341221. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.