High Wind in Alaska, September 9, 2005

Name: High Wind in Alaska, September 9, 2005
Start: 2005-09-09T07:00
End: 2005-09-09T18:02
Location: Alaska

September 9, 2005 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A strong low in the Eastern Bering Sea produced the typical high wind along the west end of Turnagain Arm near McHugh Creek. The wind peaked at 90 mph.

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.

A strong low in the Eastern Bering Sea produced the typical high wind along the west end of Turnagain Arm near McHugh Creek. The wind peaked at 90 mph. Wind along the Anchorage Hillside was not a strong but did result in several downed trees.

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 9, 4:00 AM AST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 9, 4:00 AM AST, 3 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
500 AM ADT FRI SEP 9 2005

.DISCUSSION...
SATELLITE THIS MORNING SHOWS A MAJOR LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN THE
BERING TO BE THE MAIN WEATHER MAKER ACROSS THE STATE.  ON THE WATER
VAPOR THE JET STREAM CONTINUES TO FLOW FROM A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION
PUSHING PLENTY OF WARMTH AND MOISTURE INTO THE REGION.  HEAVY RAIN IS
FALLING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN ZONES WITH THE BRISTOL BAY
REGION RECEIVING THE BRUNT OF THE WEATHER. THE OCCLUDED FRONT HAS
ALREADY MOVED THROUGH BETHEL SO PRECIP SHOULD BE MORE SHOWERY IN
NATURE FOR THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY.

IN THE EASTERN ZONES THE FRONT IS MAKING ITS WAY UP THE COOK INLET
AND INTO THE PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND.  ALTHOUGH THE FLOW ALOFT IS
SOUTHEASTERLY THE ABUNDANT MOISTURE SHOULD MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF
DOWNSLOPING AND MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL FALL ALL ACROSS THE
SOUTHCENTRAL REGION FOR MOST OF THE DAY.  THE COLD FRONT WILL NOT
PASS THROUGH THE REGION UNTIL TOMORROW SO PRECIPITATION WILL PERSIST
THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

OUT WEST CONDITIONS ARE SLOWLY IMPROVING AS THE LOW MOVES NORTH AND
EASTWARD.  AS MENTIONED ABOVE THE FRONT HAS ALREADY PASSSED THROUGH
THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY AND SHOULD MOVE OUT OF THE BRISTOL BAY REGION
LATER ON TODAY.  THE ALEUTIANS ARE CURRENTLY ENJOYING A BRIEF RESPITE
AS THEY LIE IN THE COL BETWEEN THIS SYSTEM AND THE NEXT.  AS THE NEXT
SYSTEM MOVES IN FROM THE WEST TOMORROW AFTERNOON WINDS WILL INCREASE
AND RAIN WILL MOVE IN AGAIN.

MODEL DISCUSSION...DUE TO A COMMUNICATION PROBLEM THE 00Z RUNS OF THE
MODELS NEVER MADE IT IN.  GFS WAS CHOSEN FOR THE FORECAST TO MAINTAIN
CONSISTANCY.  THE 06Z RUN OF THE MESOETA DID COME IN AND WHILE IT
LOOKS ACCURATE IN TERMS OF STRENGTH IT SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE FAST IN
TIMING.  WATCH RADAR AND SATELLITE CAREFULLY TO TIME THE START AND
STOP OF PRECIPITATION.

EXTENDED FORECAST...STILL LOOKING FOR THE NEXT SYSTEM...THE OLD
TYPHOON...TO MOVE ALONG THE ALEUTIANS AND INTO THE BERING.  THIS
SHOULD BRING WINDS AND RAIN TO THE MAINLAND BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON.  THE
WESTERN ALEUTIANS WILL SEE GUSTY WINDS BEHIND THE SYSTEM ON SUNDAY AS
WELL.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE
MARINE...GALE 150 160 165 180 170 171 172 175 176 179 185 AND WESTERN
         OFFSHORE
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

LEW SEP 05

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: September 9, 7:00 AM AST to 6:02 PM AST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured: 78 kt (90 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, 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: 5468933.