High Wind — Cape Decision To Salisbury Sound Coastal Area, Alaska

2016-12-01 to 2016-12-02 · Cape Decision To Salisbury Sound Coastal Area, Alaska

Event narrative

Cape Decision had gusts to 90 mph on 12/2. Although Sitka and Port Alexander were very windy, but below criteria, surface analysis showed extreme pressure gradients over Baranof Island. 46084 had gusts to 62 KT. No damage was reported.

Wider weather episode

A really strong storm developed in the southern Gulf of Alaska on the afternoon of 12/1 down to 968 MB. Not only did this bring a slug of warm air to the Panhandle but also strong pressure gradients for a lot of windy places. By Friday morning 12/2 this monster deepened to 962 MB off Cape Decision then went inland that night through Icy Strait which is a windy track for any storm. By Saturday morning 12/3 the remnants of the storm reestablished the arctic front over Lynn Canal for a bunch of snow in the north. Miraculously damage was limited to downed trees, power outages, and transportation disruptions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 664883. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.