Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, April 9 to 10, 1999

A deepening low, just southwest of Amchitka Island Friday morning, moved northeast across the southeastern Bering to near Cape Newenham at 10 am Saturday as a 979mb center. The low then moved north northeast through Kuskokwim Bay...weakening to 982mbs Saturday evening. Brisk southwest winds were observed along the south and southwest quadrants of the low.Across the eastern Aleutians, wind gusts reached 63 mph at Dutch Harbor between 9 and 10 pm Friday. At Cold Bay, adjusted ASOS westerly wind gusts reached 59 mph early Saturday morning.A developing front south from the low Friday morning, strengthened and moved northeast...extending from the low into southern Cook Inlet and the northcentral Gulf of Alaska at 4pm Saturday. In advance of the front, gusty southeast winds were observed along the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay areas.Across the extreme western corner of Bristol Bay, pre-frontal southeast winds gusted to an adjusted AWOS 56 mph at Cape Newenham. Southeast winds at this location are typically accelerated by terrain.At Cold Bay, at the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula, pre-frontal southeast winds reached an ASOS adjusted 61 mph Friday afternoon.Around Portage, in the Cook Inlet zone, southeast wind gusts above 40 mph began early Saturday, peaking out at an ASOS adjusted 62 mph at 9pm Saturday. Heavy snow preceded the front in this exposed area of the Cook Inlet zone.Heavy snow also fell across land areas adjacent to western Prince William Sound Saturday in advance of the front. Seward and Whittier both received in excess of 12 inches of snow from 6 am to midnight.