A strong storm in the Gulf of Alaska combined with deep cold arctic air and high pressure over interior Alaska resulted in strong north gap winds across south central Alaska. Along with the strong wind, low temperatures resulted in low wind chills across much of the south central and southeast mainland regions of Alaska.
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 AFC wrote it up.
A strong storm in the Gulf of Alaska combined with deep cold arctic air and high pressure over interior Alaska resulted in strong north gap winds across south central Alaska. Along with the strong wind, low temperatures resulted in low wind chills across much of the south central and southeast mainland regions of Alaska. The peak measured wind was 87 mph in the Wasilla area. Gusts very likely reached around 100 mph during this event based upon the damage and power outages associated with this event in the Palmer and Wasilla area. Peak wind gust were measured to 91 mph through Thompson Pass.
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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 14, 2:00 PM AKST, 3 hours earlier.
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
200 PM AKST TUE DEC 14 2010
.MODEL DISCUSSION...
MODELS ARE IN OVERALL EXCELLENT AGREEMENT THROUGH FRIDAY. PACIFIC
STORMS WILL TRACK WEST OF THE KAMCHATKA PENINSULA TO WEST OF ANADYR
AROUND THE BERING RIDGE. HIGH PRESSURE WILL PERSIST OVER THE
INTERIOR AND A STRONG SURFACE GRADIENT WILL REMAIN OVER SOUTH CENTRAL
THROUGH FRIDAY.
.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
A STABLE UPPER PATTERN IS FORECAST TO PERSIST OVER ALASKA INTO THE
WEEKEND. THE PATTERN FEATURES A HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE IN THE BERING
ALONG THE DATELINE AND A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE MAINLAND
WITH A DEEP UPPER LOW CENTERED SOUTH OF THE GULF. A STABLE COLD AIR
MASS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE OVER THE MAINLAND WITH A STRONG SURFACE
PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE NORTH GULF COAST. THIS TRANSLATES INTO
WINDY AND COLD IN SOUTH CENTRAL...COLD AND CALM IN THE INTERIOR AND
NO STORMS IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN BERING.
.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
MAINLAND ALASKA...COLD NORTHERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE OVER ALL OF
SOUTHERN ALASKA...WITH THE COLDEST WEATHER OF THE SEASON WORKING ITS
WAY INTO MOST LOCATIONS BY WEDNESDAY. HIGH WINDS AND COLD WIND CHILL
TEMPERATURES ARE THE PRIMARY CHALLENGES. HIGH WIND WARNINGS ARE IN
EFFECT FOR THOMPSON PASS...VALDEZ...THE MATANUSKA VALLEY AND THE
COPPER RIVER DELTA. A HIGH WIND WATCH IS ISSUED FOR KODIAK ISLAND FOR
TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. A WIND CHILL ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE
LOWER KUSKOKWIM VALLEY...THE SUSITNA VALLEY AND THE COPPER RIVER
BASIN. MANY OTHER LOCATIONS WILL SEE WIND CHILL READINGS IN THE 20
BELOW TO 30 BELOW RANGE.
BERING SEA AND ALEUTIANS...HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE CENTRAL
ALEUTIANS AND WILL KEEP STORMS OUT OF THE BERING FOR THE REST OF THE
WEEK. THIS MEANS MILDER...DRIER AND CALMER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS
THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.
.LONG TERM FORECAST...
COLD, DRY, AND BREEZY CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO PERSIST INTO NEXT WEEK
FOR THE MAINLAND. THE LONG TERM MODELS SUGGEST A BREAKDOWN OF THE
BERING RIDGE WITH A COLD UPPER LOW MOVING OVER THE NORTHERN BERING
EARLY NEXT WEEK.
.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING 111 131 135
MARINE...STORM 120 130 132 140 150
GALE 121 125 129 138 141 155 165 170 171 172 176 179 185
HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY 121 125 129 130 138 140 141 150 160
FIRE WEATHER...NONE
RHH DEC 10SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK 430 PM AKST TUE DEC 14 2010 AKZ101-151200- ...STRONG WINDS TO CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING IN THE ANCHORAGE BOWL... STRONG WINDS WHICH AFFECTED MUCH OF ANCHORAGE TODAY WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT BEFORE DIMINISHING DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON WEDNESDAY. SUSTAINED WINDS OF UP TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS IN WEST ANCHORAGE. WINDS SHOULD DECREASE TO 10 TO 25 MPH TOMORROW. AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THESE WINDS COMBINED WITH FALLING TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO LEAD TO WIND CHILLS OF 10 TO 30 BELOW ACROSS THE CITY TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. AVIATORS SHOULD KEEP THEIR PLANES TIED DOWN UNTIL THESE WINDS SUBSIDE TOMORROW MORNING. DRIVERS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION WHERE BLOWING SNOW HAS REDUCED VISIBILITIES OR CREATED SNOW DRIFTS. KS
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gust are estimated for this area based upon the mesonet sites located at Strawberry Reef and the Million Dollar bridge near the Copper River delta.
Alaska department of transportation road weather information system at Thompson Pass observer the peak gust.
Wasilla Airport observed a peak gust of 87 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2010
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: 264985, 264984, 264983.