A strong pressure gradient between a high pressure over the Beafort Sea and a low in the Gulf of Alaska produced sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph with local gusts to 50 kts (60 mph) reported by the cooperative weather observer at Wiseman on the evening of the 9th: the observer estimated stronger winds nearby. An 8 to 10 inch diameter tree was blown over in the yard.
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 a high pressure over the Beafort Sea and a low in the Gulf of Alaska produced sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph with local gusts to 50 kts (60 mph) reported by the cooperative weather observer at Wiseman on the evening of the 9th: the observer estimated stronger winds nearby. An 8 to 10 inch diameter tree was blown over in the yard.
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 9, 6:13 AM AKST, 3 hours 29 minutes earlier.
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 613 AM AKST TUE DEC 9 2008 .SYNOPSIS... A STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE BEAUFORT SEA WILL PERSIST INTO THU. THIS COMBINES WITH A STRONG 960 MB LOW NOW NEAR KODIAK IS PRODUCING 70 MB OF PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS ALASKA. THIS IS CAUSING STRONG EAST WINDS ACROSS ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA RESULTING IN NUMEROUS HIGH WIND WARNINGS...WIND ADVISORIES AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES FOR BLOWING SNOW AND LOW WIND CHILLS. A TROUGH ALOFT FROM THE NORTON SOUND TO EAGLE WILL MOVE TO THE BERING STRAIT TO ANAKTUVUK PASS BY 3PM TUE...AND TO THE ARCTIC COAST BY 3AM WED THEN MOVE NORTH OF THE COAST. EAST WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50KT ALONG THIS TROUGH ARE SURFACING IN SOME AREAS. THE STRONG WINDS WILL MOVE NORTH WITH THE TROUGH AND DECREASE SOUTH OF THE TROUGH. AN OCCLUDED FRONT ALONG THE GULF OF ALASKA COAST WILL MOVE ALOFT TO MCGRATH TO EAGLE BY 3PM TUE...AND THEN DISSIPATE OVER THE NORTHERN INTERIOR TUE NIGHT. THIS WILL SPREAD FLURRIES INTO THE INTERIOR. A 979 MB LOW DEVELOPING OVER NORTON SOUND BY 3PM TUE WILL MOVE TO THE BERING STRAIT AS A 982 MB LOW BY 3AM WED AND THEN CONTINUE MOVING NORTH. A COLD FRONT WILL DEVELOP FROM THIS LOW SOUTH TONIGHT THAT WILL MOVE ALONG THE WEST COAST BY 3AM WED AND TO THE CENTRAL INTERIOR BY 3AM THU. SNOW WILL DEVELOP ALONG THIS FRONT AND MOVE EAST WITH THE FRONT. A SECONDARY AND MUCH COLDER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE BERING WED AND INTO THE WEST COAST OF ALASKA WED NIGHT. EXPECTED SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WITH THIS...WITH SIGNIFICANT LAKE AFFECT TYPE SNOW SQUALLS POSSIBLE WITH THIS FRONT FROM NOME SOUTH ON WED NIGHT. && .DISCUSSION... MODELS SHOW SIMILAR SOLUTIONS THROUGH TUE NIGHT...THEN GFS DEVELOPS A STRONGER LOW NEAR THE BERING STRAIT THAN THE NAM. PREFER THE GFS SOLUTION AS THE LOW ALOFT MOVES OVER THIS TO CAUSE THE LOWERING PRESSURE. THE GFS PRODUCES STRONGER WINDS WED OVER THE BERING AND WEST COAST AS A RESULT. COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ222-AKZ223. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ202-AKZ203-AKZ204-AKZ218- AKZ219-AKZ220-AKZ221. HIGH WIND WARNING FOR AKZ212-AKZ216-AKZ219-AKZ221. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR PKZ210. GALE WARNING FOR PKZ230-PKZ235-PKZ240-PKZ245. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ210. BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230. && JB DEC 08
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds developed during the afternoon of the 9th. Wind speeds of 30 to 45 mph were observed with a peak gust estimated at 60 mph. The strong wind knocked down an 8 to 10 inch diameter tree and knocked out the microwave telephone system in the area.
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: 138732.