Heavy Snow — Cook Inlet, Alaska

1999-12-21 · Cook Inlet, Alaska

Wider weather episode

Strong southeasterly winds blew across the Gulf of Alaska Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of a moderate front. While wind gusts were generally 40 to 60 mph ahead of the front, reports of stronger winds were received. Prior to the onset of strong winds, many areas adjacent to Prince William Sound and across Southcentral Alaska received a heavy dump of snow.Notably, in the city of Cordova, east southeast winds reached sustained values of 104 mph with gusts reaching an incredible 150 mph. This report came from a pilot on the ground in downtown Cordova by the Coast Guard. Additionally , there were unconfirmed reports the following day of water from Eyak Lake onto the runway (which is adjacent to the Lake). Two vessels broke loose from their moorings in the Cordova harbor, ending up on the breakwater as wind gusts over 120 mph buffetted the area. Fortunately, the hulls suffered only minor damage. At least two roofs were blown off buildings. Numerous trees fell on streets and houses. A heavy mix of rain and snow clogged storm drains and flooded some basements. Reports from Cordova Electric Cooperative Tuesday afternoon measured rainfall of 5.56 inches in 24 hours!Avalanches temporarily blocked the Richardson Highway near Thompson Pass and were also blamed for a fiber-optic cable cut that interrupted telephone service to Fairbanks. Heavy snow was also reported in Thompson Pass with 28+ inches received from 7 am Monday to 7 am Tuesday. Two boats sunk in the Valdez Small Boat Harbor.Heavy snow was also reported around the Kenai Peninsula, with 10 to 14 inches recorded Monday. Heavy snow preceded strong winds around Anchorage. 14.9 inches of snow fell in the city between 9 am Monday and 9 am Tuesday. Strong southeasterly winds then followed...especially along the Anchorage hillside. Gusts of 73 mph were recorded at the Rabbit Creek Forest Service site at 6pm Tuesday, followed an hour later by temperatures reaching a balmy 48 F. Winds at the site peaked at 75 mph early Wednesday (3 am - 4 am).Other peak winds in the area were: 113 mph in Bear Valley 96 mph between 10pm Tuesday and 7am Wednesday - Mid hillside (O'Malley and Maintree) 91 mph prior to 7am Wednesday at Glen Alps 79 mph between 2am and 3am Wednesday at a mesonet site along Muldoon Road 75 mph at 4:43 am Wednesday at the National Guard site along the Glenn Highway 67 mph at Portage at 4:30 am WednesdayFurther north, wind gusts of 59 mph were recorded at Palmer at 9:24 pm Tuesday and at the Wasilla Fire Station between 3 am and 4 am Wednesday.Temperatures across much of the Anchorage/Palmer area "skyrocketed into the 40s and 50s" on Wednesday, as reported by the Anchorage Daily News. Reports of slick roads, local flooding due to ponding of water over ice, power outages and even "bare enough ground to mow the lawn" were received. Nearly 300 vehicles ended up as '"ditch-divers" on Tuesday around the Anchorage area. At one point, thousands of homes in the Matanuska Valley were without power. On Wednesday, the Palmer Golf Course was opened 10 am to 3 pm...and best of all, it was free! Winds also reached high speeds in the Copper River Basin and were accompanied by locally heavy rains (a very unusual event at this time of year!). Gusts above 40 mph began at 3 pm at the Gulkana observation site, peaking at 63 mph between 6 and 7 pm Tuesday. Strong gusts continued through midnight. Gusts reached 55 mph at the Eureka AWOS, located along the western extent of the Copper River Basin. Wind gusts reached 75 mph around Paxson.Winds gusting as high as 70 mph were reported around th ecommunities of Halibut cove and Peterson Bay, where power was interrupted. 15 to 18 power poles were taken out by falling trees. Damage was said to be 'extreme' even by Homer standards.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5721654. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.