A strong Chinook developed during the afternoon of the 9th and continued through the early evening of the 10th. The Chinook led to a period of strong southeast winds with gusts in excess of 70 mph.
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 Chinook developed during the afternoon of the 9th and continued through the early evening of the 10th. The Chinook led to a period of strong southeast winds with gusts in excess of 70 mph. A peak wind gust of 71 mph was observed at the Texas Condo U.S. Army Mesonet site at 10:15 pm on the evening of the 9th.
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 Oct 9, 1:37 PM AKST, 7 hours 23 minutes earlier.
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 237 PM AKDT THU OCT 9 2008 .DISCUSSION...THINGS APPEAR TO BE DEVELOPING PRETTY MUCH AS EXPECTED. WE ARE UPGRADING OUR HIGH WIND AND WINTER STORM WATCHES TO WARNINGS. WE ARE ALSO ISSUING SOME ADVISORIES FOR SNOW IN THE NORTHERN HALF OF ZONE 216...AND IN ZONES 217 THROUGH 219 AS WELL. THE POTENTIAL FOR RAIN OR MIXED PRECIPITATION IN THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF ZONES 215 AND 216 HAS DIMINISHED. SIGNIFICANT SNOW APPEARS LIKELY TO CONTINUE AFTER NOON THERE AS WELL (THOUGH IT WILL BE WINDING DOWN)...AND WE HAVE EXTENDED WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW THERE AFTER NOON. THE MODELS ALL CONTINUE TO SHOW A SURFACE LOW DEVELOPING OVER THE CENTRAL INTERIOR FRIDAY AFTERNOON...THEN MOVING (OR REDEVELOPING NORTH OF KAKTOVIK AT 4AM SAT. THERE IS LITTLE COLD ADVECTION BEHIND IT THOUGH...AS WINDS ALOFT OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR REMAIN SOUTHERLY. LOOKS LIKE TEMPERATURES OVER THE EASTERN INTERIOR AT LEAST WILL REMAIN NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH LITTLE PRECIPITATION (SOUTH OF ABOUT FORT YUKON AT LEAST. THE EVENT STILL LOOKS LIKE MAINLY A WIND BAG FOR THE WEST COAST... AND WIND WILL BE THE MAIN EVENT FOR THE ARCTIC COAST AS WELL THOUGH SOME SNOW IS LIKELY THERE...PARTICULARLY IN ZONES 203-04-06. COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE && .HYDROLOGY...NO ISSUES. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ217-AKZ218-AKZ219. HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR AKZ207. WINTER STORM WARNING FOR AKZ212-AKZ215-AKZ216. BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ214. HIGH WIND WARNING FOR AKZ225-AKZ226. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230-PKZ235- PKZ240-PKZ245. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230-PKZ235. GALE WARNING FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230-PKZ235. && DJH OCT 08
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The wind frequently gusted to 60 mph with a peak wind gust of 71 mph observed at the Texas Condo U.S. Army Mesonet site at 10:15 pm on the evening of 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, October 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: 131034.