High Wind in Alaska, August 23, 2005

Name: High Wind in Alaska, August 23, 2005
Start: 2005-08-23T00:00
End: 2005-08-23T19:53
Location: Alaska

August 23, 2005 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Zone 223: Delta Junction ASOS and Bolio Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) reported peak gust to 50 knots (58 mph). Zone 226: US Army MesoNet Stations: Washington Range peak gust 49 knots (56 mph); OP10A and Texas Condo peak gust of 52 knots (60 mph).

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 AFG wrote it up.

A weather front moving north from the gulf of Alaska produced strong south/southeast winds near the eastern Alaska Range.Zone 223: Delta Junction ASOS and Bolio Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) reported peak gust to 50 knots (58 mph). Zone 226: US Army MesoNet Stations: Washington Range peak gust 49 knots (56 mph); OP10A and Texas Condo peak gust of 52 knots (60 mph). Additionally, the Co-operative Observer at Dry Creek reported several 8-inch diameter trees were knocked over.

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 Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 22, 1:30 PM AST, 10 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 22, 1:30 PM AST, 10 hours 30 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM ADT MON AUG 22 2005

.DISCUSSION...
SHORT RANGE MODEL SOLUTIONS ARE SIMILAR. AN UPPER LOW OVER
THE SOUTHERN BERING SEA WILL LESS WELL DEFINED AND MOVE
TO THE EASTERN SEWARD PENINSULA/WEST CENTRAL INTERIOR BY
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

AN ASSOCIATED 988 MB SURFACE LOW JUST NORTHEAST OF THE
PRIBILOFS THIS AFTERNOON WILL MOVE TO THE EASTERN
SEWARD PENINSULA BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WEAKENING TO
993-994 MB. THE CLOUD SHIELD HAS ALREADY SPREAD EASTWARD
TO THE CENTRAL INTERIOR.

A PERIOD OF STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS THROUGH ALASKA RANGE
PASSES IS EXPECTED MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT
IN ADVANCE OF THE ASOSCIATED SURFACE FRONT. SMALL CRAFT
TO GALE NORTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE
WESTERN COASTAL WATERS AFTER PASSAGE OF THE SURFACE LOW.

.HYDRO...NONE
.FIRE WEATHER...RED FLAG WARNING ZONES 223-225-226

.AFG WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING...ZONES 223-225-226
         DENSE SMOKE ADVISORY...ZONES 218-219-220
MARINE...GALE WARNING...AREA 210
         SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...AREAS 200-220-225-230

RF AUG 05

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When: August 23, 12:00 AM AST to 6:00 PM AST
Where: Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Deltana and Tanana

When: August 23, 1:53 AM AST to 7:53 PM AST
Where: Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
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

Every storm in Alaska in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, August 2005

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: 5470839, 5470838.