Alaska, 1996

High Wind in Alaska, September 24 to 25, 1996

September 24 to 25, 1996 · NWS AFC · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A moderate frontal low developed 300 miles south of Cold Bay Tuesday morning ahead of the extratropical remains of an old typhoon (Tom). The low deepened to 973mbs and moved into Shelikof Strait at 10 pm Tuesday, continuing north into the west central interior of the state Wednesday morning.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS AFC wrote it up.

A moderate frontal low developed 300 miles south of Cold Bay Tuesday morning ahead of the extratropical remains of an old typhoon (Tom). The low deepened to 973mbs and moved into Shelikof Strait at 10 pm Tuesday, continuing north into the west central interior of the state Wednesday morning. The low weakened rapidly Wednesday evening into Thursday. The front associated with this storm moved into the southwest Alaska Range and Kenai Peninsula 4 am Wednesday, then northeast into the Tanana-Yukon Uplands and by Yakutat at 4pm Wednesday. Very strong southeasterly winds occurred in advance of the front. Although not as strong, another band of significant winds occurred on the back (southwest) side of the low...with gusts in the 35 to 45 mph range reported at many locations in the vicinity of Cook Inlet. Prefrontal peak winds were:Middleton Island 78 mph at 5:13pm TuesdayCordova airport At least 52 mph at 11:52pm TuesdayPalmer airport 55 mph at 10:43 pm TuesdayKodiak Coast Guard Base 51 mph at 9:23 am TuesdayCold Bay airport 45 mph at 3:38pm TuesdayAkutan 60 mph at 9:30 am TuesdayChignik 55 mph at 10:34 pm TuesdayIn Anchorage winds were: Rabbit Creek 60 mph at 3:28 am Wednesday Upper Hillside 54 mph at 4:33 am Wednesday Glen Alps 61 mph Wednesday morningHeavy rains were also reported in exposed areas adjacent to Prince William Sound in advance of the front, however the extremely heavy rains were east of the Anchorage Forecast area along the northeast and eastern Gulf of Alaska Coast.

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Glacier Bay

When
September 24, 9:25 AM AST
Where
Glacier Bay forecast zone
Measured
44 kt (51 mph)

High Wind, Salisbury Sound to Cape Fairweather Coastal Area

When
September 24, 9:30 AM AST
Where
Salisbury Sound to Cape Fairweather Coastal Area forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)

High Wind, Haines Borough and Lynn Canal

When
September 24, 5:13 PM AST
Where
Haines Borough and Lynn Canal forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)

High Wind, Eastern Chichagof Island

When
September 24, 10:35 PM AST
Where
Eastern Chichagof Island forecast zone
Measured
48 kt (55 mph)

High Wind, Taiya Inlet and Klondike Highway

When
September 25, 12:00 AM AST to 12:00 PM AST
Where
Taiya Inlet and Klondike Highway forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alaska in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, September 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5563542, 5563540, 5563543, 5563541, 5563544.