A very strong high pressure cell built over the Yukon causing katabatic and gaps winds for the usual outflow regions in SE Alaska on 11/16 - 11/17. The Dangerous river gap and up Yakutat Bay howled.
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 very strong high pressure cell built over the Yukon causing katabatic and gaps winds for the usual outflow regions in SE Alaska on 11/16 - 11/17. The Dangerous river gap and up Yakutat Bay howled. Juneau had a Taku wind event.
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 16, 2:15 PM AKST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
215 PM AKST TUE NOV 16 2010
.SHORT TERM...DEVELOPING LOW IN THE NORTHERN GULF WILL TRACK SE
ALONG THE AK PANHANDLE COAST TOWARDS THE QUEEN CHARLOTTE'S WHERE
IT WILL MERGE WITH A SECOND LOW...MOVING UP FROM THE NORTHERN
PACIFIC. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE YUKON THEN BRITISH
COLUMBIA WITH STRONG NORTHERLY PRESSURE GRADIENT DEVELOPING. WINDS
WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR THE NORTHERN INNER
CHANNELS AND ALONG INTERIOR PASSES. STRONG NORTHEASTERLY TO
EASTERLY WINDS WITH GUSTS OF 40 MPH INCREASING TO 50 MPH LATE
TONIGHT WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH WED. ARCTIC AIR WILL
MOVE SOUTH THROUGH THE DAY WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE TEEN TO LOW
20S OVER THE NORTHERN ZONES TO THE UPPER 20S TO LOW 30S TO THE
SOUTH. AS LOW TRACKS SOUTH PRECIP SHOULD BE LIMITED TO COASTAL
AREAS AND OUTSIDE WATERS THEN MOVE OVER THE SOUTHERN ZONES. AS
TEMPERATURES WILL STILL BE ABOVE FREEZING PRECIP SHOULD BE MOSTLY
RAIN WITH SOME MIX OF SNOW LATE TONIGHT. SINCE REGIONS WILL BE
EITHER A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW OR LIMITED TO A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS
NO SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.
MODELS WERE IS FAIR AGREEMENT. LIKED THE NAM12 WIND DETAILS SO
UPDATED GRIDS WITH THE NAM OVERALL ONLY A FEW CHANGES. FORECAST
CONFIDENCE IS ABOUT AVERAGE.
&&
.LONG TERM...A COLD...DRY...AND WINDY AT TIMES PATTERN IS
EXPECTED THROUGH AT LEAST THE WEEKEND AND MOST LIKELY THROUGH NEXT
WEEK.
A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE AT SURFACE AND ALOFT WILL PERSIST
ACROSS WESTERN ALASKA THROUGH THE WEEKEND THEN SLOWLY WEAKEN AND
TILT NE ACROSS THE PANHANDLE LATE NEXT WEEK. THE SURFACE HIGH
ACROSS THE YUKON PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND THEN MOVES OFF TO SE
ON MON. THE DEEP LOW AND UPPER TROUGH SOUTH OF THE PANHANDLE WILL
DRIFT SE AND WEAKEN THE STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE
PANHANDLE.
A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES IN NORTHERLY FLOW WILL DROP SOUTH OVER
SOUTHEAST ALASKA THROUGH THE LONG RANGE. THE FIRST ONE MOVES OVER
THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT. NOT MUCH MOISTURE WITH THIS SO JUST EXPECT
MID AND HIGH CLOUDS...HOWEVER IT WILL STRENGTHEN INVERTED TROUGH
IN EASTERN GULF AND BRING A RETURN OF GALE FORCE NORTHERLY WINDS TO
INNER CHANNELS. A SECOND SHORTWAVE MOVES THROUGH ON TUESDAY AND
COULD BRING A CHANCE OF FLURRIES. THE TAIL END OF A WARM FRONT
MOVING OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE PUSHES INTO EASTERN GULF WED WITH
MARITIME AIR MOVING BACK TO IMMEDIATE COAST.
MODELS HAVE GOOD SYNOPTIC AGREEMENT THROUGH SUNDAY BEFORE
DIVERGING OVER THE BERING AND NW PAC. THESE DIFFERENCES APPEAR
NOT TO HAVE A BIG IMPACT FOR THE PANHANDLE. USED THE NAM12 TO ADD
DETAIL TO WINDS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY AND MADE ONLY MINOR
CHANGES BEYOND.
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WIND ADVISORY FROM 3 AM WEDNESDAY TO MIDNIGHT AKST
WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR AKZ026-029.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM AKST
WEDNESDAY FOR AKZ025.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 PM AKST
WEDNESDAY FOR AKZ022.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TO 3 PM AKST WEDNESDAY FOR AKZ023.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 3 AM TO 9 PM AKST WEDNESDAY FOR AKZ020.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 9 AM TO 3 PM AKST WEDNESDAY FOR AKZ028.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT AKST
WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR AKZ019.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 9 PM AKST WEDNESDAY FOR AKZ018.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM AKST
WEDNESDAY FOR AKZ017.
MARINE...STORM WARNING FOR PKZ012-043.
GALE WARNING FOR
PKZ011-013-021-022-031-032-036-041-042-051.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ033>035-052.
&&
BEZENEK/MM2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Army data from Haenke island at the head of Yakutat Bay observed hourly wind averages above 60 MPH for most of the day on 11/17. Estimated outflow gusts to 80 KT.
Douglas boat harbor observed a peak gust of 65 KT on the evening of 11/17. Numerous gusts were observed in the 50s and 60s. A boat was overturned off a trailer.
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, November 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: 264758, 264760.