A 967 MB low lifted north through the central Gulf of Alaska. The associated front brought high south-southeast winds to southern outer coast and Panhandle.
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.
The episode as NWS AJK wrote it up.
A 967 MB low lifted north through the central Gulf of Alaska. The associated front brought high south-southeast winds to southern outer coast and Panhandle. Some peak winds included: Ketchikan (NOAA ship Fairweather) 72 mph...Ketchikan airport terminal roof winds 63 mph...Ketchikan ASOS 62 mph...Hydaburg AWOS 60 mph...Sitka ASOS 61 mph. Blashkie Island also reported (estimated) 50 to 60 mph winds by 8 pm AST. Damage was minor and mainly to holiday decorations and lighting.
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 Dec 20, 11:00 AM AST, 8 hours 30 minutes earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION 1100 AM AST TUE DEC 20 2005 .SYNOPSIS... .SHORT RANGE...DEEP LOW HAS HAS LEAST 2 CENTERS. LEADING TRIPLE POINT LOW ALREADY INTO EASTERN GULF AND NOT HANDLED BY PROGS. PARENT 965 MB LOW...ABOUT 4 MB DEEPER THAN PROGS...LIFTING NORTH FROM WEST COAST CHARLOTTES INTO THE SOUTHEAST GULF THIS EVENING THEN INTO CENTRAL GULF BY WEDNESDAY MORNING AND FILLING TO AROUND 970 MB. THE ASSOCIATED OCCLUSION WRAPPED COMPLETELY AROUND LOW NOW PUSHING ALOFT OVER NORTHERN PANHANDLE. SECOND WRAP GAINING STRENGTH OF QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS AND FORECAST TO SLAM INTO SOUTHERN THIS EVENING AND RUN NNW ALONG OUTER COAST TO NEAR SITKA BY MIDNIGHT. SINCE FRONT ALOFT PAGY WILL LIKELY MAINTAIN BRISK N WINDS AND WILL EXTEND WIND ADVISORY INTO TONIGHT. LEADING OCCLUSION ONLY PRODUCING A FEW HUNDRETHS OF PRECIP DUE TO STRONG EASTERLY COMPONENT TO FLOW...HOWEVER DEEP WARM LAYER ALOFT RESULTING IN POCKETS OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET OVER NORTHERN PANHANDLE THIS MORNING. THE EVENT SHOULD BE SHORT LIVED AS IT MOVES THROUGH PAYA-PAHN AND PAGY MIDDAY AND SHOULD BREAK UP INVERSION. SECOND WRAP DIFFERENT STORY. STRONG 60-75 KT LOW LEVEL JET MOVING INTO SOUTHERN ZONES THIS EVENING WILL LIKELY INCREASE WINDS TO STORM IN CLARENCE AND WARNING LEVELS WITH PEAK GUSTS AROUND 75 MPH FOR PUBLIC. HAVE ISSUED HWA THAT WILL PROBABLY BE UPGRADED TO A HHW WITH AFTERNOON ZONES. RAIN WITH THIS WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES AND TOTAL 1-3 INCHES OVERNIGHT FOR SOUTHERN. WINDS AND RAIN WILL SPREAD NORTH THROUGH INNER CHANNELS TONIGHT BUT SHOULD WEAKEN TO GALES AND WIND ADVISORY FOR REMAINING INNER CHANNELS ZONES LATER TONIGHT AND FOR FAR NORTHERN ZONES WEDNESDAY MORNING. ONE BIG QUESTION THAT REMAINS IS WEATHER OR NOT UPPER LEVELS WILL COOL ENOUGH BEHIND FIRST OCCLUSION TO SUPPORT SNOW FOR NORTHERN LYNN CANAL TONIGHT. FOR NOW I AM LEANING TOWARDS A FEW INCHES OF SNOW UNTIL SOUTHERLIES ARRIVE. .LONG RANGE...WARM AND GENERALLY WET. WARM MARITME ONSHORE FLOW WITH WARM BOUNDARY LAYER WILL HAVE LITTLE COOLER AIR TO OVERRUN THROUGH CHRISTMAS WEEKEND EXCEPT FOR THE VICINITIES OF YAKUTAT...HAINES...AND SKAGWAY. SYNOPTIC SCALE CIRCULATION AROUND LOW ALOFT OVER CHAIN AND AK PEN IS HIGHLY PERSISTENT ALONG WITH RIDGE ALOFT NW CAN. THE RIDGE ALOFT STAYS TOO FAR E OF OUR FORECAST AREA TO SUPPORT THE TRACK OF ARCITC HIGHS NEAR OUR FORECAST DOMAIN. GREATEST MODEL SOLUTION SPREAD IS SEEN FOR SAT...THE GFS SOLNS CHANGING FROM RUN TO RUN AND ENSEMBLE SPREAD IS LARGE AND UNIFORM OVER PANHANDLE...SOLNS DO GEN HAVE HAVE A LOW TRACKING NORTH ALONG THE CHARLOTTES 12Z SAT BUT VARIETY OF PRESSURE CENTERS. CONSENSUS FOR THIS LOW IS HARD TO REACH WITH DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE SO CLIMATOLOGY WEIGHED IN PROGRESSIVELY FROM FRIDAY ONWARD. BEST ESTIMATE IS LOW TO TRACK OVER KETCHKAN BEFORE FILLING AND REDEVELOPING IN NORTHERN B.C. SUN...WITHOUT PULLING AN ARCTIC AMS INTO THE PANHANDLE EXCEPT POSSIBLY FOR N AND W OF HAINES AND SKAGWAY SAT PM. .AJK...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES PUBLIC...WSW FOR FZRA 20 AND 25 UNTIL NOON...18-19 TIL 3 PM NUMEROUS WIND ADVISORY THROUGH TONIGHT HWA 6PM-6AM 23, 27, AND 28 MARINE...GALE COASTAL AND SOUTHERN INNER CHANNELS TODAY STORM 36, 41, 42..GALES REMAINDER TONIGHT GALES COASTAL AND NORTH CHANNELS ENDING IN MORNING MJM JT
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2005
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: 5488679, 5488757, 5488678.