A strong pressure gradient between high pressure over the North Slope and a low in the Gulf of Alaska produced strong winds of 50 mph with local gusts to 61 kts (70 mph) observed at the Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge RAWS.
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.
The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.
A strong pressure gradient between high pressure over the North Slope and a low in the Gulf of Alaska produced strong winds of 50 mph with local gusts to 61 kts (70 mph) observed at the Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge RAWS.
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 8, 4:06 PM AKST, 10 hours 57 minutes earlier.
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 406 PM AKST MON DEC 8 2008 .DISCUSSION... ROUGH NIGHT IN NORTHERN AK...PARTICULARLY CONSIDERING THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION. THE STRONG WINDS OVER THE INTERIOR AND MUCH OF THE WEST COAST WILL SPREAD NORTH TO THE ARCTIC COAST ON TUE. WE ARE A BIT DUBIOUS OF REACHING EVEN THE ADVISORY LEVEL FOR BLOWING SNOW ON THE ARCTIC COAST...BUT GALE GUSTS ARE LIKELY THERE AND MOS IS SOLD ON THE LOW VISIBILITY. COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ223. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ202-AKZ203-AKZ204-AKZ218- AKZ219-AKZ220-AKZ221. HIGH WIND WARNING FOR AKZ212-AKZ215-AKZ216-AKZ221. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR PKZ210. GALE WARNING FOR PKZ240-PKZ245. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ210. BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ230-PKZ235- PKZ240-PKZ245. && DJH DEC 08
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust of 61 kts (70 mph) was observed at the Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge RAWS at 6:18 am on the 9th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2008
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: 138731.