Name: High Wind in Alaska, September 23 to 24, 2003
Start: 2003-09-23T21:00
End: 2003-09-24T05:00
Location: Alaska

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $16,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 AJK wrote it up.

An unseasonably strong Low pressure system of 974mb moved into the Central Gulf of Alaska (near54N153W) on September 23. High winds developed in the warm sector of this system and were enhanced by the upper level jet mixing down along a front. Widespread wind advisory criteria (gusts >40 mph) were experienced in Southeast Alaska. Many areas had stronger warning criteria high wind gusts to 60 mph. A weather spotter in Craig estimated wind gusts to 68 mph based on some tree damage in the area. Many locations reported minor wind damage but nothing too significant.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 23, 8:45 PM AST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 23, 8:45 PM AST, 15 minutes before

SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
945 PM ADT TUE SEP 23 2003

.SYNOPSIS...
.SHORT RANGE...VERY STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE AFFECTING
THE PANHANDLE TONIGHT. THE 974 MB LOW IS POSITIONED NEAR 54N/153W
ATTM...IT IS FORECASTED TO MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL GULF BY 15Z WED.
THIS VERY STRONG LOW WILL PRODUCE VERY STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY
RAIN OVER THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT.

WINDS ALONG THE OUTER COAST ATTM ARE SUSTAINED 40 KT WITH GUSTS
TO 60 KT. THESE WINDS WILL INCREASE TO SUSTAINED 50 MPH WITH
GUSTS TO 70 MPH OVER THE OUTER COAST AND STATIONS OVER THE INNER
CHANNELS WILL SEE WINDS TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH TONIGHT AS
THE VERY STRONG WARM FRONT MOVES CLOSER TO SOUTHEAST ALASKA.
NORTHERN LYNN CANAL AREA WILL NOT SEE THAT STRONG OF WINDS...THEY
SHOULD EXPECT WINDS NEAR 35 MPH DURING THE NIGHT. BIORKA RADAR IS
INDICATING A LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH HIGH REFLECTIVITY MOVING
ONSHORE ATTM. SO EXPECT HEAVY RAIN THROUGH OUT THE NIGHT AS THERE
IS LARGE AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE WITH THIS SYSTEM AND THE UPPER LEVEL
SUPPORT IS VERY STRONG.

AS FOR THE MARINE...THE STORM WARNING THAT IS OUT FOR NORTHERN 1B
AND 2A LOOKS GOOD AS PAMD WINDS ARE GUSTING TO 55 KTS AND THE
FAIRWEATHER BUOY IS REPORTING GUSTS TO 52 KTS. SEAS ALONG THE
OUTER COAST WILL BE BUILDING TO NEAR 25 FT BY 12Z. AS FOR THE
INNER CHANNELS WIND SPEEDS WILL REACH GALE WARNING CRITERIA OVER
NIGHT AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA.

.LONG RANGE...NO REAL SURPRISES IN THE FORECAST AS THE FRONT
FINISHES MOVING THROUGH SOUTHEAST ALASKA WEDNESDAY AND THE
SURFACE LOW MOVES TO THE NORTHEAST GULF WEDNESDAY NIGHT. A
PORTION OF THE LOW WILL JUMP INLAND TO THE SOUTHERN YUKON OPENING
UP THE LYNN TO THE STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS.  THE NEXT LOW MOVE
QUICKLY FROM THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY AND
INTO THE PANHANDLE AREA EARLY THURSDAY...URGED ON BY A STRONG
SOUTHWEST JET STREAM.

A SHORT WAVE DIGGING SOUTH AROUND THE UPPER LOW OVER THE
ALEUTIANS WILL HELP BUILD A RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND
INTO THE SOUTHERN GULF OF ALASKA.  THIS WILL BRING THE A WEAK LOW
OUT OF THE PACIFIC INTO THE NORTHERN GULF FOR SATURDAY.  THE MAIN
RIDGE AXIS LOOKS TO PERSIST ALONG THE COAST MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE
WEEKEND.  LONGER RANGE MODELS SHOW THIS RIDGE BREAKING DOWN EARLY
IN THE WEEK AS  THE UPPER TROUGH SLOWLY TRIES TO UNDER CUT IT.

.AJK...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING...ZONES 21-23...25-29
         HIGH WIND WATCH...ZONE 24
MARINE...STROM WARNING...NORTHERN 1B AND 2A SOUTHERN 1A3
         GALE WARNING...1A

ABJ - BMB

Event by event

6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Cape Fairweather to Cape Suckling-Coastal Area

When: September 23, 9:00 PM AST to 11:50 PM AST
Where: Cape Fairweather to Cape Suckling-Coastal Area forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $4,000
Reported by: BUOY

High Wind, Southern Southeast Alaska Ernest Sound to Dixon Entrance

When: September 23, 10:00 PM AST to September 24, 1:00 AM AST
Where: Southern Southeast Alaska Ernest Sound to Dixon Entrance forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Dixon Entrance to Cape Decision-Coastal Area

When: September 23, 10:00 PM AST to 11:00 PM AST
Where: Dixon Entrance to Cape Decision-Coastal Area forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $4,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Cape Decision to Cape Fairweather-Coastal Area

When: September 24, 1:30 AM AST to 2:30 AM AST
Where: Cape Decision to Cape Fairweather-Coastal Area forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Inner Channels From Kupreanof Island to Etolin Island

When: September 24, 1:30 AM AST to 2:30 AM AST
Where: Inner Channels From Kupreanof Island to Etolin Island forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Misty Fjords

When: September 24, 3:00 AM AST to 5:00 AM AST
Where: Misty Fjords forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, September 2003

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: 5372199, 5372202, 5372203, 5372200, 5372201, 5372204.