High Wind — Kodiak Island-eastern Alaska Peninsula, Alaska

1999-03-31 · Kodiak Island-eastern Alaska Peninsula, Alaska

Wider weather episode

A moderate to strong front, associated with a moderate low, moved through the eastern Aleutians Wednesday on its way northeastward into the State. Increasingly strong southeast winds developed ahead of the front...diminishing abruptly as the front passed.Unofficial reports indicated that winds around the city of Cordova, late Wednesday, channelled through Eyak Lake, may have exceeded 80 mph. In the Cordova Boat Harbor, a houseboat registered a 67 mph gust Wednesday night. Winds at the Middleton Island AWOS, and at the deep water buoys located at the southeast entrance to Prince William Sound, gusted up to 63 mph late Wednesday.Along the upper Anchorage Hillside, wind gusts reached 78 mph at Glen Alps Wednesday evening. At the Portage Visitor Center, blizzard conditions were reported for most of Wednesday.Winds were gusty in other areas ahead of the front, gusting between 40 and 50 mph across Kodiak Island from noon to just before midnight Wednesday.Across the Alaska Peninsula, adjusted ASOS wind gusts topped out at 52 mph Wednesday as reported at Cold Bay.Adjusted east wind gusts at the Iliamna ASOS reached 61 mph Wednesday.Peak winds reached 40 mph from the south at the Gulkana airport Wednesday.Adjusted ASOS winds gusted to 58 mph at the Palmer airport in the Matanuska Valley late Wednesday.The parent low reached at least as low as 972 mbs about 200 miles south of Seguam Island 3am Wednesday, turning on an eastward track that took it just south of the Alaska Peninsula Wednesday night. Part of the original occlusion, to the north northwest of the center, merged with the arctic front late Wednesday. Cold air, modified across the open waters of the north Pacific and Gulf of Alaska, wrapped around the parent low and caused the arctic front to form south of the low late Wednesday. Brisk west and northwest winds began to develop along the back side of the low and behind the north northwest/south southeast extending arctic front. Wind gusts reached 60 mph at both Adak and Dutch Harbor Wednesday on the back side of the low.Brisk north wind gusts were reported across the Pribilofs Wednesday, with speeds reaching 63 mph. Additionally, heavy snows were reported along the eastern part of the Kenai Peninsula, around Turnagain Arm and Prince William Sound, into the Copper River Basin. Close to a foot of new snow fell Wednesday from Seward into Turnagain Arm (along the Seward Highway). Another foot of new snow was recorded at the Nelchina Highway Camp along the Glenn Highway west of Glennallen. Around Valdez, 2-3 feet of new snow was reported...with just under a foot at the Ernestine DOT Camp at milepost 302 on the Richardson Highway.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5681930. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.