High Wind — Nern P.w. Snd, Alaska

2021-04-09 · Nern P.w. Snd, Alaska

Event narrative

The Valdez Airport AWOS (PAVD) reported wind gusts to 77 mph at 3:53 AM AKDT and a higher one of 85 mph at 8:56 AM AKDT. This wind event brought warning level gusts to both Thompson Pass and into the town of Valdez.

Wider weather episode

A low tracked across the eastern Bering Sea and intensified as it crossed the Aleutian Range and into the northern Gulf of Alaska. In the peak of the storm the low was just southeast of Prince William Sound at around 982 mb with the high near the Yukon Delta at 940 mb. In addition to the strong pressure gradient, unseasonably cold air was associated with this system enhancing the winds.

On April 10, a new low in the Bering Sea sent a front over Southwest mainland Alaska which brought blizzard conditions to the Kuskokwim Delta as the new front pushed into the arctic airmass.

While temperatures were nothing nearing a warning level, many locations across Southern Alaska (and the Interior) saw daily record low temperatures with the high pressure.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 948913. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.