A storm force low from the North Pacific Ocean deepened to 952 MB near Middleton Island on the morning of Saturday 11/14. The associated front moved onshore and through Southeast Alaska by Saturday evening.
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 AJK wrote it up.
A storm force low from the North Pacific Ocean deepened to 952 MB near Middleton Island on the morning of Saturday 11/14. The associated front moved onshore and through Southeast Alaska by Saturday evening. This system brought strong winds and heavy snow to many regions of Southeast Alaska.
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 Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 13, 2:57 PM AKST, 3 minutes earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
257 PM AKST FRI NOV 13 2009
.SHORT TERM...VERY ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN TODAY. A 978MB LOW
CONTINUES TO DEEPEN JUST SOUTH OF PWS AS ANOTHER 987MB LOW
DEEPENS FASTER JUST TO THE SOUTH OF KODIAK ISLAND. THE PAIR OF
LOWS CONTINUE TO DEEPEN AND MOVE NORTHEAST AND WILL COMBINE INTO
A 948 MB STORM FORCE LOW THIS EVENING. TRACK TAKES STORM ON SHORE
JUST WEST OF YAKUTAT AROUND 18Z TOMORROW.
HIGH WIND WARNINGS POSTED ALONG THE OUTER COAST FROM PAYA TO PAHY
AND FOR ZONES 28 AND 29 AS WELL. WRING LEVEL GUSTS EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP THIS EVENING ALONG THE NORTHERN COAST AND MOVE SOUTHWARD
OVERNIGHT. WIND ADVISORIES HOISTED FOR REST OF THE ZONES.
WSW HOISTED FOR THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE HAINES HIGHWAY AND
ALONG THE KLONDIKE HIGHWAY ABOVE 500 FEET FOR THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING FOR HEAVY SNOW. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO MIX
OUT LATE TONIGHT ALONG THE HAINES HIGHWAY BUT NOT BEFORE DUMPING 6
TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW. WHITE PASS SHOULD REMAIN SNOW ALL NIGHT AS
SNOW LEVEL RISES TO 1200 FEET. 6 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW EXPECTED
THERE.
USED 12Z NAM12 FOR MINIMAL EDITS TO WIND...PRESSURE AND QPF
FIELDS. 12Z NAM12 INITIALIZED WELL AND IS DEPICTING THE PRESSURE
GRADIENT WELL. FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS ABOVE AVERAGE THROUGH THE
SHORT TERM.
.LONG TERM...STRONG AND LONG COLD ADJECTION WILL OCCCUR AFTER FROPA.
CONFIDENCE IS GOOD THAT A CHANGE FROM RAIN TO SNOW SHOWERS WILL
OCCUR IN A NW TO SE SEQUENCE SAT THROUGH SUN, ALBIET THE SHOWERS
SHOULD BE BOTH RAIN AND SNOW FOR ZONES 27 AND 28 ON SUN. THE MODEL
CONSENSUS INCLUDES THE 850 MB TEMPERATURE FIELD FOR SUN 00Z AMOUNG
THE UKMET, NAM, GFS, AND ECMWF. VALUES OF -8C REACH THE SRN PNHDL
HALF OF THE PNHDL ON ALL THESE MODELS AT 12Z SUN. THIS CONVECTION
WILL BE LARGELY DRIVEN BY THE CONVECTIVE AVAIALBLE POTENTIAL ENERGY
ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLD AMS OVER THE STILL WARM BNDRY LAYER, AND
THE MODIFICATION OF BOTH IS REASON THAT THE NEW ZONES MIX RAIN
BACK IN NORTH OF FREDERICK SOUND.
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WIND ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 9 AM AKST SATURDAY FOR
AKZ026.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM AKST SATURDAY
FOR AKZ027-028.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL NOON AKST SATURDAY FOR AKZ024.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM AKST SATURDAY FOR AKZ020-021-025.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON AKST SATURDAY
FOR AKZ022-023.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 9 AM AKST SATURDAY
FOR AKZ017-029.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM AKST SATURDAY FOR AKZ019.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT AKST TONIGHT FOR AKZ019.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT AKST SATURDAY NIGHT FOR AKZ018.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 9 AM AKST SATURDAY FOR AKZ018.
MARINE...STORM WARNING FOR PKZ012-022-036-041>043-051-052.
GALE WARNING FOR PKZ011-013-021-031>035.
&&
CCC/JBT8 high wind, 3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Skagway COOP observer measured 14.0 inches of new snow at 1600 AKST over 24 hours.
Haines customs COOP observer measured 14.5 inches of new snow for 24 hours ending at 0700 AKST on 11/14.
The AWOS in Hydaburg reported a peak gust of 73 mph at 0516 AKST.
Elfin Cove observed gusts to 50 KT at 0951 AKST on 11/14. Cape Spencer had a peak wind of 83 KT at 1000 AKST on 11/14.
Sitka ASOS had several peak winds of 49 KT during the afternoon of 11/14. NCEP analyses showed that even stronger headland winds to 80 MPH were possible.
Ketchikan ASOS observed a measured gust of 54 KT at 0853 AKST on 11/14. The Lincoln Rock C-MAN site had peak winds exceeding 99 KT on the morning of 11/14|(marine observation).
Skagway ASOS observed a measured gust of 52 KT at 0848 AKST on 11/14.
Yakutat ASOS observed several measured gusts of 45 KT during 11/14. NCEP analyses showed extreme pressure gradients over the Yakutat Forelands with estimated gusts of 70 KT along some headlands. Buoy 46083 (marine) at the Fairweather Grounds measured a SW wind 46 KT with a peak of 56 KT. Seas there were 18 FT.
Ketchikan ASOS observed a measured gust of 54 KT at 0853 AKST on 11/14. The Lincoln Rock C-MAN site had peak winds exceeding 99 KT on the morning of 11/14|(marine observation). These winds are estimated to be representative of the western headlands and shores of the Misty Fjords area.
Juneau ASOS reported a gust of 62 mph at the airport. Reports of tree damage in the Mendenhall Valley up to 2 ft diameter. The sensor on the Juneau Federal Building reported a gust of 63 mph. A wind sensor on top of Sheep Mountain at an elevation about 3000 ft reported a gust of 186 mph. Power outages occurred. This wind was a contributing factor to mudslides the next day due to soil disturbance of root systems.
Hyder COOP observer measured 1.45 inches of water equivalent on 11/14 and 0.64 inches on 11/15. Although the snow dumped on the Misty Fjords area, much of the snow was compacted and washed away when mixed or changing to rain. Only 2 inches of snowfall resulted in the town of Hyder, but outlying areas received feet of new snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, November 2009
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: 203368, 203369, 201035, 203363, 203364, 203365, 203362, 203361, 203366, 201034, 203370.