Alaska, 2006

High Wind in Alaska, February 11, 2006

February 11, 2006 · NWS AFC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong low moved from the Gulf of Alaska into western Cook Inlet the morning of February 11th. This produced a strong gradient across Prince William sound resulting in strong wind in Cordova and through Portage Valley.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
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.

A strong low moved from the Gulf of Alaska into western Cook Inlet the morning of February 11th. This produced a strong gradient across Prince William sound resulting in strong wind in Cordova and through Portage Valley. The strong wind blew portions of the roof off of the Harbor Master building and some residential houses in Cordova.

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 Feb 10, 5:00 PM AST, 11 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 10, 5:00 PM AST, 11 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
500 PM AST FRI FEB 10 2006

.DISCUSSION...

UPPER LEVEL RIDGE FROM LOWER 48 WEST COAST TO BARROW WITH A TROUGH
FROM KAMCHATKA TO BRISTOL BAY. AT THE SURFACE A DEEP LOW IS OVER THE
PRIBILOFS AND A WEATHER FRONT IS MOVING INTO THE NORTH GULF COAST. A
MIX OF RAIN SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN IS OCCURRING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL.
AS THE FRONT DISSIPATES IT IS BRINGING THUNDERSTORMS TO NORTHERN
PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND WHICH SHOULD END DURING THE AFTERNOON.

MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH 24 HOURS AND THEN THE ETA
SOLUTION DIVERGES. GFS WAS THE MODEL OF CHOICE.

IN THE EAST...

STRONG TURNAGAIN ARM WINDS WILL DIMINISH THIS EVENING AS THE SURFACE
GRADIENT RELAXES. PRECIPITATION OVER SOUTH CENTRAL WILL TAPER OFF
OVERNIGHT...BUT CONTINUE WITH ONSHORE FLOW EAST OF THE KENAI INTO
PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND THE COPPER RIVER BASIN. RAIN WILL BE TYPICAL
ALONG THE COAST WITH SNOW INLAND. THE NEXT NORTH PACIFIC LOW WILL
REACH PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND LATER ON SUN...BUT NOT BEFORE THE NEXT
FRONT BRINGS STRONG WINDS TO THE COAST EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THE
ORIENTATION OF THIS SYSTEM WILL KEEP STRONG WINDS TO THE COAST AND
HEAVY PRECIP AS WELL THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

IN THE WEST...THE BROAD LOW OVER THE BERING WILL KEEP SNOW SHOWERS
ACROSS THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA THROUGH THE
WEEKEND. THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS WILL BE UNDER A RIDGE BEGINNING
TONIGHT AS THE NEXT PACIFIC LOW MOVES TO A POSITION JUST EAST OF
KAMCHATKA SATURDAY. AN ASSOCIATED WEATHER FRONT WILL BRING STRONG
WIND AND SNOW CHANGING TO RAIN OVER THE WESTERN ISLANDS SAT THROUGH
SUN.

IN THE EXTENDED...A RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE EAST BEGINNING MONDAY WHICH
WILL BRING DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. IN THE WEST...
A LOW WILL RACE NORTH ACROSS THE ALEUTIANS AND BERING WITH STRONG
WINDS MON AND TUE OVER THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. SUBSEQUENT
LOWS WILL BE MUCH WEAKER...BUT WILL KEEP SNOW SHOWERS IN THE REGION
THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE
MARINE...STORMS...120
         GALES...150 155 160 172 179
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

*** FEB 06

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

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

When
February 11, 4:20 AM AST to 4:00 PM AST
Where
Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
Measured
90 kt (104 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Sern P.W. Snd

When
February 11, 12:00 PM AST to 6:00 PM AST
Where
Sern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Measured
90 kt (104 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 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 2006

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: 5487107, 5487108.