High Surf in Alaska, September 12 to 13, 2006

Name: High Surf in Alaska, September 12 to 13, 2006
Start: 2006-09-12T11:00
End: 2006-09-13T07:00
Location: Alaska

September 12 to 13, 2006 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $130,000
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 AFG wrote it up.

South winds gusting 35 to 45 mph at Kivalina created high surf on top of a sea level elevated by about 4 feet, which damaged a nearly completed, 40-foot wide sea wall at this village situated on a barrier island and threatened by coastal erosion. 160 feet of the 1800 foot wall was damaged. Repair cost unknown at time of publication, but estimated as one-half of the cost of the percent damaged of the total project amount of 2.95 million. According to the Anchorage Daily News, a federal and state delegation was to attend a ceremonial feast on the 12th for the sea wall's completion, but the event was canceled. Though the wall was damaged, it did prevent any erosion of the village's land.

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 Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 12, 4:47 AM AST, 6 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 12, 4:47 AM AST, 6 hours 13 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
547 AM ADT TUE SEP 12 2006

.DISCUSSION...
THE GFS AND NAM MODEL FORECASTS ARE IN AGREEMENT ON THE MAIN
FEATURES AFFECTING WEATHER IN NORTHERN ALASKA. THE GFS BRINGS IN A
SHORT WAVE ALOFT OVER THE WEST WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
THIS FEATURE IS NOT ON THE NAM FORECASTS AND THE GFS PRECIPITATION
AND CLOUD FORECASTS ARE NOT CONSISTENT WITH IT. THE MODELS AGREE
WELL ON CLOUD AND PRECIPITATION FORECASTS AS WELL AS THE COASTAL
WINDS WHICH ARE IMPORTANT IN THE NEXT 2 DAYS.

THE STRONG HIGH PRESSURE AREA ALOFT OVER THE SOUTHERN BERING WILL
BUILD UP OVER THE WESTERN INTERIOR TONIGHT AND OVER THE EAST
WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. A MODERATE CHINOOK WIND OVER THE
ALASKA RANGE IS EXPECTED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...THIS WILL BRING
UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER TO NORTHERN ALASKA...ESPECIALLY THE
INTERIOR.

THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC AND IN THE FAR WEST
BERING SEA ARE CONNECTED BY A STRONG WEATHER FRONT. THE LOW NOW
HEADED OVER CAPE NAVARIN WILL BRING A PEAK TO THE WINDS OVER
NORTHWEST ALASKA ON WEDNESDAY AS IT PASSES ABEAM THE AREA ON ITS
WAY INTO THE ARCTIC. CONSIDERABLE BEACH EROSION IS EXPECTED FROM
KIVALINA TO POINT HOPE AS GALE FORCE WINDS GENERATE 8 TO 12 FOOT
SEAS THERE FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. POINT HOPE
WILL HAVE STRONGER WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS THAN KIVALINA.

THE DIFFUSE TROUGH ALOFT THAT CAME DOWN FROM THE NORTH INTERIOR
YESTERDAY IS NOW WEAKENING OVER THE SOUTHEAST INTERIOR. THIS
SYSTEM BROUGHT A HANDFUL OF LIGHTNING STRIKES TO THE SOUTH
INTERIOR YESTERDAY. AS THE RIDGE ALOFT ADVANCES OVER THE MAINLAND
TODAY...THE AIRMASS WILL BE CONSIDERABLY STABILIZED. THE ONLY
POSSIBLE CONVECTION WOULD BE SOME LINGERING SHOWERS OVER THE FAR
SOUTHEAST INTERIOR TODAY. THE FAIRBANKS RADAR SHOWS A CLUSTER OF
SHOWERS SOUTHWEST OF BIG DELTA NOW...THESE HAD MOVED SOUTHWARD
OVER FAIRBANKS AROUND MIDNIGHT.

A LONG LIVED AREA OF OVERCAST STRATOCUMULUS REMAINS OVER THE
MIDDLE OF THE SOUTHERN INTERIOR AND OVER THE SOUTHEAST INTERIOR
THIS MORNING. 24 HOURS AGO THIS WAS OVER THE NORTHWEST INTERIOR.
CONTINUED CLEARING IS EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT AS THE RIDGE
ALOFT BUILDS IN.

IN THE MEDIUM RANGE...THE U.S. AND EUROPEAN MODELS FORECAST THE
BIG HIGH PRESSURE AREA ALOFT NOW IN THE BERING TO MOVE OVER
NORTHWEST CANADA ON SATURDAY...WITH LIGHTER WINDS AND COOLER AIR
ALOFT BY SUNDAY. THUS...TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE DROPPING TO MORE
SEASONABLE LEVELS STARTING SUNDAY. THE CHANCES FOR MUCH RAIN OVER
THE INTERIOR STILL SEEM POOR THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY.

COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAY 3 AND 4...NONE. BY THURSDAY...THE
HEAVY SURF ON THE NORTHWEST COAST WILL BE OVER.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
A WARM DRY CHINOOK INTO THE INTERIOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WILL DRY
FUELS...ESPECIALLY ON AND NEAR THE NORTH SLOPES OF THE ALASKA
RANGE. NO LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
ALL RIVERS ARE CONTINUING TO INCH DOWN TO BASE FLOW LEVELS. RAIN
IN ZONE 208...WHICH INCLUDES THE SOUTH SLOPES OF THE WESTERN
BROOKS RANGE...MAY BRING SOME RISES STARTING TONIGHT. THESE WILL
PROBABLY BE MINOR. MORE EXTENSIVE RAINFALL IS EXPECTED OVER THE
WEST THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT AS A MODERATE PACIFIC LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES UP BETWEEN NUNIVAK ISLAND AND SAINT LAWRENCE
ISLAND. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN SOME RISES ON WESTERN STREAMS LATE
THIS WEEK. THE INTERIOR REMAINS QUITE DRY...THE AREA HAS BASICALLY
BEEN WITHOUT RAIN SINCE LATE AUGUST.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ230-PKZ235.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230.
&&

TF SEP 06

Event by event

1 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Chukchi Sea Coast

When: September 12, 11:00 AM AST to September 13, 7:00 AM AST
Where: Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
Property damage: $130,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

What these are

High Surf: Large waves breaking on the shore that caused damage, erosion or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, September 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: 5531721.