A strong storm center developed to 946 MB early on the morning of 11/05. Strong winds accompanied an associated front as it moved north through through Southeast Alaska on 11/05.
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 strong storm center developed to 946 MB early on the morning of 11/05. Strong winds accompanied an associated front as it moved north through through Southeast Alaska on 11/05. A developing swell from the storm increased the amount water moving onshore over the coastal areas simultaneously during the time of the highest tides of November for 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 4, 2:27 PM AKST, 1 hour 11 minutes earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK 227 PM AKST WED NOV 4 2009 .SHORT TERM...VERY ACTIVE WEATHER DAY WITH A STORM FORCE LOW IN THE WESTERN GULF THAT WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY OVERNIGHT AS IT TRACKS INTO THE CENTRAL GULF. WIND ADVISORIES IN PLACE FOR ZONES 22...26 AND 29. HIGH WIND WARNINGS NOW IN PLACE FOR THE OUTER COAST FROM CAPE EDGECUMBE SOUTH AS WELL AS ZONE 28. ALSO HAVE COASTAL FLOOD ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH STORM WINDS...STORM SURGE...AND A SWELL TRAINS THAT WILL BECOME MORE SOUTHWESTERLY WITH TIME. COASTAL MARINE ZONES AS WELL AS CLARENCE STRAIGHT NOW INCLUDE STORM WARNINGS FOR TONIGHT AND EARLY TOMORROW. GALES ELSEWHERE. SEE VARIOUS WARNING AND ADVISORY STATEMENTS AS WELL AS THE ROUTINE FORECAST PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE FOR ADDITIONAL SHORT TERM FORECAST DETAILS. .LONG TERM...LONG RANGE PATTERN REMAINS SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS PACKAGE AND MOST EMPHASIS WAS PLACED ON THE FORECAST NEAR HAND OFF WITH SHORT TERM AS THE STORM FORCE LOW CURRENTLY IN THE GULF WILL BE GRADUALLY FILLING AND WEAKENING THROUGH SATURDAY AS IT MOVES SLOWLY INTO THE NORTHERN GULF. BLENDED INHERITED GRIDS TOWARD A 12Z NAM/ECMWF BLEND THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING AS BOTH THESE MODELS GAVE THE BEST REPRESENTATION OF THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE 12Z GFS THROUGH THE WEEKEND DISSIPATES THE STORM FORCE LOW OVER THE CHUGACH MOUNTAINS RATHER THAN IN THE NORTHERN GULF. DAY 3 ONWARD BLEND TOWARD THE 12Z ECMWF AND HPC SOLUTION WHICH WAS A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVE BRINGING A GALE FORCE LOW NORTHWARD ALONG THE OUTER COAST MONDAY AND TUESDAY...WHICH HAS RECENT MODEL RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY BOTH IN THE 12Z GFS AND ECMWF AS WELL AS THE NAEFS ENSEMBLE. AFTER HAND OFF WITH SHORT TERM WILL CONTINUE TO SEE NEAR ADVY WIND GUSTS ALONG THE OUTER COAST AS ANOTHER GALE FORCE FRONTAL BAND WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE PANHANDLE. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THE NEXT SET OF MODEL RUNS FOR THE POTENTIAL OF WIND ADVY GUSTS OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. OTHERWISE WINDS WILL REMAIN LOCALLY BREEZY THROUGH SATURDAY ESPECIALLY NEAR EAST- WEST ORIENTED CHANNELS. PERIODS OF RAIN WILL SPREAD NORTHWARD ACROSS THE PANHANDLE THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL REMAINING ALONG THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE WITH THE BETTER UPPER LEVEL JET SUPPORT. BY EARLY NEXT WEEK THE 12Z MODELS DEVELOP ANOTHER GALE FORCE LOW MOVING INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF AND THERE HAS BEEN MORE RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY WITH THIS SOLUTION. THE LONG WAVE TROUGH WILL REMAIN IN THE GULF THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK SO THE GALE FORCE LOW SOLUTION DOES HAVE CREDIBILITY IN THE LONG WAVE PATTERN. AFTER NEXT WEDNESDAY MODEL SOLUTIONS DIVERGE SIGNIFICANTLY ON WHERE A DEVELOPING ARCTIC AIRMASS IN SIBERIA WILL MOVE. WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LONG RANGE MODELS TO SEE IF THIS ARCTIC AIR MASS ADVECTS INTO THE PANHANDLE LATE NEXT WEEK. FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS ABOVE AVERAGE THROUGH THE WEEKEND UNTIL MODELS DIVERGE ON THE POSITION OF THE GALE FORCE LOW NEAR THE OUTER COAST MONDAY AND TUESDAY. HOWEVER...MODEL SOLUTIONS ARE IN MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT THIS AFTERNOON THAN YESTERDAY. WINDY AND RAINY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND ACROSS THE PANHANDLE WITH THE RAIN/SNOW LINE RETREATING INTO THE YUKON. .AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM AKST THURSDAY FOR AKZ022-026-029. ...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 PM AKST THURSDAY FOR AKZ023-027-028. ...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM AKST THIS AFTERNOON FOR AKZ023-027-028. ...COASTAL FLOOD WARNING UNTIL 4 PM AKST THURSDAY FOR AKZ023-027. MARINE...STORM WARNING FOR PKZ036-043-052. ...GALE WARNING FOR PKZ011>013-021-022-032>035-041-042-051. ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ031. ...MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT FOR PKZ036. && FRITSCH/PSS
4 coastal flood, 3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Headlands along Baranof Island had estimated gusts above 60 MPH on the afternoon and night of 11/4. Peak wind on buoy 46083 was 50 KT around noon with many observations in the upper 40 KT range. The Cape Decision observation was out of service.
Annette AWOS (PANT) had gusts to 59 MPH from the afternoon of 11/4 to the morning of 11/5. Lincoln Rock (marine observation) had peak winds of 69 KT which clearly indicated headland winds in excess of 60 MPH on 11/4 and 11/5.
Hydaburg AWOS reported a gust of 63 MPH at 1016 pm on 4 November.
Elfin Cove observed very high water levels in the harbor on 11/5. The tide gauge at Elfin Cove observed 14.47 FT at 1400 AKST on 11/5 and the maximum astronomical tide is 13.8 FT. The outside seas were 18 FT just off Cape Spencer. No damage was reported.
High astronomical tides and a huge sea state combined to cause coastal flooding along Northeast Gulf Coast. At 1400 AKST the tide gauge at Monti Bay observed 13.47 FT. The NDBC Buoy at the Fairweather Grounds (46083) observed a combined sea of 18 FT. Flooding was observed at the Situk River landing.
Tide gauges recorded water levels of 1.5 to 2 ft above the astronomical high tides which were amongst the highest of the months. High water levels in Sitka Harbor and the gusty winds going on resulted in a couple of boats coming loose and beaching themselves.
Estimated storm surge of roughly 1 to 3 feet above the astronomical high tide. Outside seas were 18 FT.
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 200957, 202512, 200958, 200954, 200953, 200955, 200956.