Alaska, 2005

High Wind in Alaska, September 26 to 27, 2005

September 26 to 27, 2005 · NWS AFC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An intense low moved from south of the Alaska Peninsula into the Gulf of Alaska September 26th. in advance of this low, strong wind blew across Kodiak Island into the northern Gulf of Alaska.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$100,000
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 AFC wrote it up.

An intense low moved from south of the Alaska Peninsula into the Gulf of Alaska September 26th. in advance of this low, strong wind blew across Kodiak Island into the northern Gulf of Alaska. The strongest wind peaked around 85 mph on Kodiak island and through Portage Valley. Reports from the Village of Chenega in Western Prince William Sound are of wind estimated near 85 mph that took the roof off of the local school and blew a refrigerator off the porch of a house. The estimated damage to the roof is $100K.

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 Sep 26, 1:00 PM AST, 7 hours 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 26, 1:00 PM AST, 7 hours 56 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
200 PM ADT MON SEP 26 2005

.DISCUSSION...MODEL INITIALIZATIONS DIFFER. ETA INITIALIZATION AND 12
HR FORECAST LOOKS MOST REASONABLE.

.UPPER 970S MB LOW SOUTH OF WESTERN AK PEN LOOKS TO BE HANDLED BEST
BY ETA MODEL. CURRENT SAT IMAGERY SHOWS THIS CENTER ROTATING NW
AROUND OLD 980S MB LOW TO SW. REASONING IS THAT MEAN POSITION OF
CENTERS WILL HOLD TOWARD THE WESTERN AK PEN THROUGH TONIGHT THEN
SLOWLY DRIFT EAST. DEVELOPING WAVE ALONG FRONTAL BOUNDARY NEAR 58N
156W THIS AFTERNOON IS MOST CONCERN. EXPECT CENTER WILL TRACK TOWARD
KODIAK ISLAND. ASSOCIATED FRONTAL TROUGH MOVES TO THE NORTH GULF
TONIGHT THEN INLAND LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. EXPECT
STRONG WINDS LIKELY OVER KODIAK ISLAND AND SURROUNDING WATERS THROUGH
EARLY TUESDAY. HURRICANE FORCE GUSTS LIKELY THESE AREAS AS WELL AS
NORTH GULF WATERS. HIGH WIND WATCHES/WARNINGS NORTH GULF AND
SOUTHCENTRAL SHOULD HOLD THROUGH TUE AFTERNOON UNTIL FRONT PUSHES
INLAND. PRECIPITATION PATTERN TYPICAL WITH MOST ALONG E-SE EXPOSURES
AND MINIMAL TO LESS OF TERRAIN.

NW GALES WINDS DEVELOPING ON BACKSIDE OF LOW COMPLEX WESTERN
ALEUTIANS WILL HOLD THROUGH TUE OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN
ALEUTIANS.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WATCH 101 AND 135. HIGH WIND WARNING 171 AND 125.
MARINE...SEE AFTERNOON PACKAGES.

RMC SEP 05

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kodiak Peninsula

When
September 26, 8:56 PM AST to September 27, 2:30 AM AST
Where
Kodiak Peninsula forecast zone
Measured
75 kt (86 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns

When
September 26, 11:00 PM AST to September 27, 9:00 AM AST
Where
Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
Measured
75 kt (86 mph) estimated 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, September 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: 5468936, 5468935.