Alaska, 2007

High Wind in Alaska, December 27, 2007

December 27, 2007 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A strong low over the southwest end of Kodiak Island produced a strong west to northwest wind regime across the Alaska Peninsula resulting in strong damaging wind.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$15,000
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 AFC wrote it up.

A strong low over the southwest end of Kodiak Island produced a strong west to northwest wind regime across the Alaska Peninsula resulting in strong damaging wind.

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 Dec 27, 12:00 AM AKST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 27, 12:00 AM AKST, 5 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
500 AM AST THU DEC 27 2007

.MODEL DISCUSSION...MODELS IN OKAY AGREEMENT. GFS PREFERRED DUE TO
GOOD RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY.

A 973 MB LOW NEAR THE ALASKA PENINSULA WILL MOVE INTO THE
SOUTHWESTERN INTERIOR AND DISSIPATE BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THE
ASSOCIATED WEATHER FRONT EXTENDS ACROSS THE EASTERN BERING SEA AND
BRISTOL BAY. IT WILL PASS OVER KODIAK ISLAND TODAY THEN BECOME NEARLY
STATIONARY ALONG THE GULF COAST ON FRIDAY. PLENTY OF SNOW AND RAIN
ALONG AND IN ADVANCE OF FRONT. GALE AND STORM FORCE NORTHWESTERLIES
ALONG THE REAR FLANK OF THE LOW. VISIBILITIES REDUCED TO ONE MILE OR
LESS AT TIMES IN SNOW AND BLOW SNOW THIS MORNING ACROSS THE PRIBILOFS
AND PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS AND ALASKA PENINSULA.

THE PRESSURE GRADIENT ALONG THE GULF COAST WILL REMAIN TIGHT THROUGH
THIS EVENING THEN GRADUALLY SLACKEN WHEN A 978 MB TRIPLE POINT LOW
DEVELOPS ALONG THE FRONT THIS EVENING. THE LOW WILL RAPIDLY DEEPEN TO
978 MB APPROX 60 NM NORTHWEST OF KODIAK CITY THU EVENING THEN WEAKEN
TO 986 MB 60 NM SOUTH OF YAKUTAT FRI NIGHT. GALE FORCE
NORTHEASTERLIES ALONG THE NORTH GULF COAST WILL HOLD THROUGH THIS
EVENING THEN RAPIDLY DIMINISH BY FRIDAY MORNING.

SNOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE WHOLE OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA ONCE AGAIN
TONIGHT AS THE TRIPLE POINT PASSES ALONG THE NORTH GULF COAST.
HOWEVER SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD BE CONFINED TO KODIAK
ISLAND PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND PORTIONS OF THE KENAI PENINSULA.

A 983 MB LOW JUST SOUTH OF ST MATTHEW ISLAND WILL STRENGTHEN TO 975
MB THU NIGHT THEN WEAKEN TO 985 MB FRI NIGHT. BROAD WEST TO NORTHWEST
FLOW WILL ESTABLISH ITSELF ACROSS THE WHOLE OF THE BERING TODAY AND
PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. EXPECT SCATTERED CAA SNOW SHOWERS.

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

ASB DEC 07

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Alaska Peninsula

When
December 27, 5:30 AM AKST to 12:00 PM AKST
Where
Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured
65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
NWS Employee

The observed peak wind at Cold Bay was 69 mph. Based upon this observed peak gust and the associated damage reported around Cold Bay.

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 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2007

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: 64232.