Alaska, 2008High Wind in Alaska, December 13, 2008
December 13, 2008 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones
A strong pressure gradient between a 1056 mb high across interior Alaska and a 998 mb low that moved off the eastern Russian Coast |and into the Chukchi Sea produced high winds on Saint Lawrence Island, the Bering Strait and along the Western Arctic Coast. Wind gusts of 57 to 64 kts (66 to 74 mph) were observed.
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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.
A strong pressure gradient between a 1056 mb high across interior Alaska and a 998 mb low that moved off the eastern Russian Coast |and into the Chukchi Sea produced high winds on Saint Lawrence Island, the Bering Strait and along the Western Arctic Coast. Wind gusts of 57 to 64 kts (66 to 74 mph) were observed.
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 Dec 12, 3:46 PM AKST, 13 hours 10 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 12, 3:46 PM AKST, 13 hours 10 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
346 PM AKST FRI DEC 12 2008
.DISCUSSION...
ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN TO CONTINUE FOR NORTHERN ALASKA.
STRONG WEATHER FRONT AND ASSOCIATED TROUGH ALOFT MOVING RAPIDLY
ACROSS NORTHWEST ALASKA ATTM. SUBSTANTIAL RIDGE BUILDING OVER OVER
WESTERN ALASKA SAT AND THEN DRFTG EWD AS STRONG SHORTWAVES BUSTS
THRU THE RIDGE ON MON...WITH RIDGE REBOUNDING OVER WESTERN/CENTRAL
ALASKA THEREAFTER.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY/BLIZZARD WARNINGS ENDING OVER NW ALASKA
NEXT FEW HOURS AS TROUGH MOVES QUICKLY EWD AND WEAKENS.
MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON BASIC DEVELOPMENT NEXT FEW DAYS. MID
RANGE WILL BE TOUGH CALL AS POSITION OF BIG RIDGE ALOFT WILL HAVE
MAJOR IMPACT ON WEATHER...AND ESPECIALLY TEMPS.
NORTH SLOPE...DECENT PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE AREA THRU THE
WEEKEND BUT SNOW WILL LARGELY BE CONFINED TO WESTERN COASTAL
ZONES. TEMPS MODERATING SGFNT.
WEST COAST...ANOTHER SHOT OF WINTER WEATHER NORTH OF KOTZEBUE
TOMORROW...THO THIS HAS MUCH LESS SUPPORT ALOFT AND WARMER AMS TO
BOOT. MORE WIDESPREAD SNOW AND WIND WITH TROF ALOFT SUN PM.
INTERIOR...ALTHOUGH SURFACE PRESSURES ARE QUITE HIGH OVER THE
INTERIOR FOR MUCH OF THE FORECAST PERIOD...TEMPERATURES WILL NOT
BE ESPECIALLY COLD AS HIGH PRESSURE DUE TO VERY HIGH HEIGHTS AND
ATTENDANT WARM AIRMASS ALOFT. WHAT THIS WILL RESULT IN...GIVEN THE
TIME OF YEAR...IS PERSISTENT AND EXTREME INVERSIONS. TEMPERATURE
RANGES AT ANY GIVEN TIME IN EXCESS OF 50F ARE LIKELY OVER MOST
INTERIOR ZONES AND SOME ZONES COULD APPROACH 70 DEGREES F AT
RELEVANT ELEVATIONS...WITH TEMPS NEAR FREEZING HIGHER ELEVATION
UPLANDS TO NEAR 40 BELOW IN COLDEST VALLEYS.
COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE
&&
.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ209.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ207-AKZ207.
GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ215-PKZ230-PKZ235.
&&
RT DEC 08
High Wind, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait
- When
- December 13, 4:56 AM AKST to 4:53 PM AKST
- Where
- St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
A strong pressure gradient between a 1056 mb high across interior Alaska and a 998 mb low in the Chukchi Sea produced a period of high winds along the Bering Strait Coast as well as on Saint Lawrence Island. The strongest wind gusts were observed at the Savoonga AWOS (69 mph), the Wales AWIS (66 mph) and at the Teller AWIS (69 mph).
High Wind, Western Arctic Coast
- When
- December 13, 7:55 AM AKST to 8:40 PM AKST
- Where
- Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
- Measured
- 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
A strong pressure gradient between a 1056 mb high across interior Alaska and a 998 low in the Chukchi Sea produced strong winds along the Western Arctic Coast. Wind gusts to 74 mph were observed at the Cape Lisburne AWOS and 61 mph at Point Lay AWOS.
- 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.
- Flash Flooding and Winter Storm in California, December 13 to 17, 200817 injured · $1.3 million · 63 kt wind · 14 events
- High Wind in Missouri, December 13, 2008$6.0 million · 52 kt wind · 5 events
- Debris Flow and Flooding in Puerto Rico, December 13, 2008$115,000 · 8 events
- High Wind in Kansas, December 13, 2008$52,000 · 52 kt wind · 9 events
- Blizzard in North Dakota, December 13 to 14, 200836 events
- Blizzard in South Dakota, December 13 to 15, 200826 events
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Montana, December 13 to 14, 200821 events
- High Wind in Texas, December 13 to 14, 2008$25,000 · 63 kt wind · 1 event
- Blizzard in North Dakota, December 13 to 15, 200818 events
- Blizzard in South Dakota, December 13 to 14, 200817 events
- Extreme Cold in Montana, December 13 to 15, 200816 events
- Blizzard in Minnesota, December 13 to 15, 200815 events
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: 137433, 137432.