High Wind in Alaska, December 8 to 9, 2007

Name: High Wind in Alaska, December 8 to 9, 2007
Start: 2007-12-08T00:00
End: 2007-12-09T02:40
Location: Alaska

December 8 to 9, 2007 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An intense low moved across the Alaska Peninsula then north along the Bering Sea coast to the Kuskokwim Delta the evening of December 7th. The tight pressure gradient with rapidly rising pressure over the north Gulf Coast produced a brief period of the typically strong cross mountain and gap wind over the south central region of Alaska.

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.

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 7, 11:20 PM AKST, 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 7, 11:20 PM AKST, 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
420 AM AST SAT DEC 8 2007

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES THIS MORNING. A STRONG JET STREAM
REMAINS POSITIONED JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA...CURVING NORTH
OCCASIONALLY TO HELP THE LOW PRESSURE AREAS WHICH FORM ON THE JET TO
MOVE NORTH INTO OUR FORECAST AREA. THE JET ALSO CONTINUES TO BRING
MILD AIR INTO THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING. IN FACT...SOME SPOTS IN
SOUTHCENTRAL ARE AS WARM AS 50 DEGREES EARLY THIS MORNING. THE STARS
OF THE SHOW THIS MORNING INCLUDE A FAIRLY STRONG BUT WEAKENING LOW
PRESSURE MOVING NORTH THROUGH THE SOUTHWEST MAINLAND. PROBABLY THE
MOST SIGNIFICANT WEATHER WITH THIS LOW HAS BEEN THE WINDS ON ITS EAST
SIDE...INCLUDING WINDS GUSTING TO AROUND 85 MPH ON THE ANCHORAGE
HILLSIDE...HIGHER ELEVATIONS...AND TURNAGAIN ARM. THE SNOW WHICH HAS
FALLEN IN THE SUSITNA VALLEY HAS ALSO BEEN QUITE SIGNIFICANT...WITH
PROBABLY LOCAL AMOUNTS UP TO A FOOT WEST AND NORTH OF TALKEETNA. THE
OTHER FEATURE OF INTEREST IS A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE BETWEEN DUTCH
HARBOR AND THE PRIBILOFS WHICH HAS BEEN POORLY HANDLED BY ALL MODELS
EXCEPT THE NAM/WRF. THIS LOW IS BEGINNING TO BE ABSORBED INTO THE
BROADER MAIN SURFACE LOW A LITTLE TO ITS WEST AND TO THE NORTH OF
ADAK.

.MODEL DISCUSSION...
MODELS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT CONSIDERING THE ACTIVE PATTERN.
AS MENTIONED BEFORE...NAM/WRF IS HANDLING THE LOW BETWEEN THE PRIBS
AND DUTCH THE BEST...AND WE ARE FAVORING IT IN THE IMMEDIATE SHORT
TERM IN THE WEST. OTHERWISE...WE ARE GENERALLY FAVORING THE GFS WHERE
DISCREPANCIES ARISE. THERE ARE CERTAINLY SOME MODEL CONCERNS FOR
TONIGHT IN SOUTHCENTRAL WITH A LOW THAT WILL FORM SOMEWHERE EAST OF
KODIAK THIS AFTERNOON AND MOVE INTO THE PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND TO
CORDOVA AREA TONIGHT. EXACT POSITION OF THE LOW IS UNCERTAIN AND WILL
BE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT AS TO WHETHER OR NOT ANCHORAGE SEES SNOW
TONIGHT. FOR NOW...PLAYING IT SAFE WITH A TRACK OF THE LOW TOWARD THE
EAST END OF THE SOUND...BUT IF THE LOW TRACKS FURTHER WEST IT COULD
MEAN ACCUMULATING SNOW FOR ANCHORAGE TONIGHT.

.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
SOUTHCENTRAL...
AGAIN...ONLY A VERY BRIEF BREAK IS EXPECTED BETWEEN SYSTEMS TODAY.
THE SNOW AND RAIN WILL TAPER OFF LATER THIS MORNING WHERE IT STILL
EXISTS...WITH PRECIP FROM THE NEW LOW PRESSURE ALREADY REACHING THE
NORTH GULF COAST LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS SYSTEM FOR TONIGHT WILL BE
DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS SYSTEMS IN THAT THE LOW WILL ACTUALLY BE
CENTERED OVER PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND RATHER THAN OFF IN SOUTHWEST
ALASKA OR THE BERING. THIS MEANS WINDS WILL NOT BE THAT STRONG ON THE
WEST SIDE OF THE LOW FOR THE COOK INLET REGION AND WILL BE WESTERLY.
SNOW AND RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED FOR CORDOVA AND VALDEZ. THE TRICK COMES
AS TO FIGURING OUT THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE PRECIPITATION...WHICH WILL
BE INFLUENCED BY THE EXACT TRACK OF THE LOW. SOMEWHERE ON THE WEST
SIDE OF THE LOW PROBABLY IN THE ANCHORAGE TO WHITTIER CORRIDOR COULD
SEE QUICK DECENT SHOT OF ACCUMULATING SNOW TONIGHT IN THE COOLER AIR
ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE LOW. FOR NOW...PLAYING IT SAFE FOR ANCHORAGE
WITH JUST A CHANCE OF SNOW...BUT WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE LOW CLOSELY TODAY.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE A BREAK IN THE WEATHER SUNDAY AND SUNDAY
NIGHT BEFORE A MAJOR LOW PRESSURE AREA MOVES NORTH INTO SOUTHCENTRAL
FOR MONDAY.

SOUTHWEST MAINLAND...
THE LOW PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHWEST MAINLAND THIS MORNING IS RAPIDLY
DISSIPATING AS IT MOVES FURTHER INLAND INTO THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY.
HOWEVER...MORE SHORTWAVES AND EASTERN BERING LOWS ARE LINED UP
BEHIND...KEEPING THE PRECIPITATION GOING THROUGH MONDAY. TEMPERATURES
WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL.

BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...
LOW PRESSURE SOUTH OF THE PRIBILOFS THIS MORNING WILL BE ABSORBED
INTO THE MAIN LOW PRESSURE WEST OF THE PRIBILOFS TODAY.
MEANWHILE...ANOTHER LOW STRENGTHENS IN THE NORTH PACIFIC AND MOVES
NORTH...CROSSES THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS TONIGHT...AND MOVES INTO THE
EASTERN AND NORTHERN BERING SUNDAY AND MONDAY AS A POWERFUL SYSTEM.

.LONG TERM FORECAST...
ANOTHER STRONG LOW MOVES WEST TO EAST ALONG THE ALEUTIANS MONDAY
NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...THEN INTO THE GULF ON LATE WEDNESDAY OR
SO. HOWEVER...AFTER THIS LOW...A COLDER DRIER WEATHER PATTERN SEEMS
TO BE SETTING UP FOR THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE.
MARINE...GALE WARNING ZONES 120 125 132 150 155 160 165 170 172 175
         179 180 185 351 352 411 413 414.
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

FOISY DEC 07

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 7, 7:33 PM AKST, 4 hours 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
1233 AM AST SAT DEC 08 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1159 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 4 ESE ANCHORAGE         61.16N 149.08W
12/07/2007  M83 MPH                             AK   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

            GUST REPORTED AT GLEN ALPS AT 2000 FT ELEVATION. SPOTTER
            LOWER DOWN ON HILLSIDE AT 800 FT ELEVATION REPORTED VERY
            STRONG WIND A LITTLE EARLIER IN THE EVENING.

&&

DV

Local storm report, Dec 7, 11:34 PM AKST, 26 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
434 AM AST SAT DEC 08 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1252 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 8 SE ANCHORAGE          61.10N 149.02W
12/08/2007  M85 MPH                             AK   DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

            MCHUGH CREEK RWIS.

&&

DV

Local storm report, Dec 7, 11:38 PM AKST, 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
438 AM AST SAT DEC 08 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0100 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 4 ESE ANCHORAGE         61.16N 149.08W
12/08/2007  M85 MPH                             AK   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

            REPORTED AT GLEN ALPS.

&&

DV

Local storm report, Dec 7, 11:39 PM AKST, 21 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
439 AM AST SAT DEC 08 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0153 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 4 ESE ANCHORAGE         61.16N 149.08W
12/08/2007  M89 MPH                             AK   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

            MEASURED AT GLEN ALPS.

&&

DV

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: December 8, 12:00 AM AKST to December 9, 2:40 AM AKST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured: 77 kt (89 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

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 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 62236.