Alaska, 2005

High Wind in Alaska, October 20, 2005

October 20, 2005 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An intense low moved across the Alaska Peninsula into the gulf of Alaska October 19th and 20th. The intense pressure gradient in advance of the front in south central Alaska produce the typical strong wind along Turnagain Arm.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

An intense low moved across the Alaska Peninsula into the gulf of Alaska October 19th and 20th. The intense pressure gradient in advance of the front in south central Alaska produce the typical strong wind along Turnagain Arm. The Wind briefly peaked at 76 mph late on the night of October 19th at the McHugh Creek RWIS.

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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 19, 4:00 AM AST, 20 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 19, 4:00 AM AST, 20 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
500 AM ADT WED OCT 19 2005

.DISCUSSION...

COMPLEX LOW PRESSURE EXTENDING ACROSS THE NORTHERN BERING SEA
AND EASTERN RUSSIA WILL PERSIST THROUGH THU NIGHT THEN MOVES
EASTWARD INTO SOUTHWESTERN ALASKA BY SAT NIGHT. ETA AND UKMET
SOLUTIONS PREFERRED OVER GFS DUE TO INCREASED DETAIL. 25 TO 45 KT
WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE BERING THROUGH AT
LEAST SATURDAY. CAA OFF OF THE ASIAN MAINLAND WILL ENHANCE
INSTABILITY ACROSS THE BERING AND ALEUTIAN CHAIN.

A 979 MB LOW PROGGED TO DEVELOP 360 NM SOUTHWEST OF SITKINAK
THIS AFTERNOON IS THE PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERN OF THE DAY. THIS STORM
IS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY INTENSIFY TO AT LEAST 967 MB...ACCORDING TO
THE ETA...AND MOVE TO 330 NM SOUTH OF KODIAK BY FRI MORNING. GFS HAS
THE LOW A FULL 10 MB DEEPER THAN THE ETA. MODELS DISAGREE ON THE
INTENSITY OF THE LOW BUT ARE AT LEAST AGREEING ON THE GENERAL TRACK
THROUGH 60 HOURS. EXPECT AT LEAST GALE FORCE WINDS IN ADVANCE OF THE
SYSTEM...AND AT LEAST STORM FORCE WINDS ON THE REAR FLANK.

ONCE AGAIN THE GFSLR IS VERY UNSTABLE BEYOND 72 HOURS.
THE STORM FORCE LOW...ENHANCED BY AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH...WILL MOST
LIKELY MOVE INTO THE NORTHEASTERN GULF AS IT GRADUALLY WEAKENS.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WATCH 181.
MARINE...GALE 125 138 140 150 160 171 172 175 176 179 180 185
         STORM 120 130 132 155 165 170
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

ASB OCT 05

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When
October 20, 12:20 AM AST to 1:00 AM AST
Where
Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, October 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: 5473954.