A strong storm center developed just off the Queen Charlotte Islands on the afternoon of 10/9. The center recurved to the NW over the Panhandle causing hurricane force winds, with many, many power outages and downed trees.
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 just off the Queen Charlotte Islands on the afternoon of 10/9. The center recurved to the NW over the Panhandle causing hurricane force winds, with many, many power outages and downed trees.
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 Oct 9, 5:27 AM AKST, 3 hours 3 minutes earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
627 AM AKDT SAT OCT 9 2010
.SHORT TERM... WIND ADVISORIES EASILY VERIFYING SOUTHERN ZONES
THIS MORNING AS ARE GALE AND STORM WARNINGS. THESE WARNINGS AND
ADVISORIES WILL EXPIRE FROM SE TO NW TODAY STARTING IN MISTY
FJORDS AT 7 AM...KETCHIKAN BY 10 AM...KLAWOCK TO PETERSBURG LINE
BY 1 PM...SITKA TO JUNEAU LINE BY 4 PM. HARD WORK ON PREVIOUS
SHIFTS HAD THIS EVENT WELL COVERED. MINI MOUNTAIN WAVE EVENT
ONGOING SOUTH OF JNU WITH GUSTS OVER 40 KTS ALL NIGHT. THESE
WINDS WILL ABATE AFTER SUNRISE AS AIR MASS STABILITY DECREASES
AND MIXING LAYER DEEPENS TO WELL ABOVE RIDGE TOPS. LOCAL MTN WV
FORECAST TOOL SHOWS CONDITIONS BECOMING LESS AND LESS FAVORABLE
DURING THE MORNING. WIND WILL PICK UP AGAIN LATER TODAY.
A 975 MB STORM CAUSING THE WEATHER WAS CENTERED 80 NM SW OF SITKA
AT 5 AM. ITS BROAD CLOUD SHIELD ARCS FROM OFFSHORE TO OVER
YAKUTAT AND EAST INTO CANADA. AREAS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN
LIFTED NORTH DURING THE NIGHT AND WILL BE NORTH OF PANHANDLE MID
MORNING. BIGGER STORY IS WIND AND RAIN IN DEEP CONVECTIVE BAND
WRAPPING AROUND BOTTOM OF LOW CENTER INTO SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
PANHANDLE AT THIS TIME. PEAK WIND GUSTS OVER 50 KTS OCCURRING
ALONG THE LOW CENTERS EASTERN AND SOUTHERN PERIPHERY. LINCOLN ROCK
LIGHT IN NORTHERN CLARENCE STRAIT PEAKED AT 82 KTS BETWEEN 5 AND
6 AM. STRONGEST WIND REMAINDER OF THIS MORNING SHOULD BE CONFINED
TO SOUTHERN OUTER COAST BELOW SITKA.
RAIN OVER NIGHT BETWEEN 0.25 AND 1.60 INCHES WAS ASSOCIATED WITH
THE CONVECTIVE CLUSTER EXITING SOUTHERN ONE THIRD OF PANHANDLE
AND BEGINNING TO AFFECT CENTRAL PANHANDLE. GOES IR SATELLITE
IMAGERY REVEALS INCREASING COLD CLOUD TOPS FROM SUMNER STRAIT TO
LYNN CANAL WHICH IS INDICATES STRENGTHENING AND FURTHER
DEVELOPMENT TAKING PLACE. WITH DEEP LAYER OF SW ONSHORE FLOW
PUSHING INLAND TODAY AFTER LOW MOVES BY TO THE NORTH...RAIN
SHOULD PERSIST MOST AREAS AND BE HEAVY AT TIMES. ISSUED MORNING
PUBLIC/AVIATION/MARINE FORECASTS EMPHASIZING WIND AND RAIN HEAVY
AT TIMES. EXTREME WEATHER LIKELY TO LAST 2-3 HOURS IN ANY ONE
LOCATION. THE BAND IS TIMED TO GO THROUGH CENTRAL PANHANDLE
INCLUDING JNU CLOSE TO THE NOON HR AND THROUGH SKAGWAY TO YAKUTAT
LATE AFTERNOON.
NAM/WRF INITIALIZED WELL AS WERE LOWER RESOLUTION
GFS/UKMET/ECMWF MODELS. LOW NEAR SITKA IS BOOKING NW AT 40 KTS OR
MORE. BY 00Z SUN ALL MODELS MOVE LOW TO JUST WEST OF YAKUTAT AT
ABOUT 987 MBS. WIND EFFECTS BY THEN ARE EXPECTED TO BE OUT OF
GAS. FORECAST DATA BASE WAS REFRESHED BY NAM AND WRF RR MODELS.
GIVEN TIGHT CIRCULATION ABOUT SFC LOW... SUBTLE CHANGES IN LOW
CENTER LOCATION DURING THE DAY MAKE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN WIND
FIELD...ESP DIRECTIONS. AS THIS LOW LOOSES INFLUENCE OVER NORTHER
GULF TONIGHT THE NEXT SYSTEM ZIPS IN FROM THE SW SAT NIGHT. THE
TRACK OF THIS LOW CENTER WILL BE FARTHER EAST AND ACTUALLY MAKE
LANDFALL NEAR KETCHIKAN TONIGHT NEAR 06Z AND MOVE TOWARD
PETERSBURG BY 12Z SUN MORNING. ANOTHER LOCALIZED HIGH WIND EVENT
WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOW CENTER TOO BUT EFFECTS SHOULD BE
FARTHER EAST NEAR MISTY FJORDS.
.LONG TERM...THERE IS FAIR MODEL AGREEMENT THROUGH MON BUT WITH A
RELATIVELY LOW SPREAD IN THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS. DIFFERENCES
INCREASE THROUGH THE WEEK ESPECIALLY WITH THE TRACK OF A STORM
FORCE LOW THAT WILL MOVE INTO THE EASTERN GULF TUE. USED A BLEND
OF THE GFS/EC THROUGH MON THEN BLENDED IN HPC GUIDANCE THROUGH TUE
TO INDICATE THE DIFFERENCE WITH THE TRACK OF THE STRONG LOW. AFTER
THAT DID NOT CHANGE AFTER TUE DUE TO THE DIFFERENCES IN THE
DETAILS. THE OVERALL WEATHER PATTERN SEEM TO BE IN AGREEMENT WITH
WET AND BREEZY CONDITIONS AS A UPPER TROF WILL REMAIN IN THE GULF
THROUGH THE WEEK.
AT THE START OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD A STRONG LOW WILL BE LIFTING
NORTH FROM DIXON ENTRANCE AND OVER THE SOUTHERN ZONES. THIS LOW
WILL PRODUCE STRONG WINDS FROM THE NORTH THEN AS THE LOW DRIFTS
INLAND THE WINDS WILL SWITCH TO THE SOUTH WITH A BUILDING SURFACE
RIDGE. THERE IS A HIGH CHANCE THAT THE WINDS WILL REACH WIND ADVY
CRITERIA WITH THE STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT. THE SOUTHERLY PUSH
WITH THE BUILDING RIDGE WILL SPREAD NORTHWARD THROUGH SUN AND
SWITCH THE WINDS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH BY THE AFTERNOON WITH SMALL
CRAFT AND BREEZY CONDITIONS. THE RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THE WEATHER
FRONT WILL SPREAD NORTHWARD THROUGH THE DAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL
TROF LIFTS NE. RAIN WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES OVER THE SOUTHERN AREAS
WITH STRONG UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS BUT AS THE TROF LIFTS INTO CANADA
THE RAIN WILL TAPPER OFF BUT PERSIST INTO SUN NIGHT WITH ONSHORE
FLOW ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA.
FOR MONDAY A UPPER TROF WILL LIFT NORTH OUT OF THE NORTH PACIFIC
ASSOCIATED WITH THE PARENT UPPER LOW OVER THE WESTERN GULF. THIS
TROF WILL DEVELOP A WEAK SURFACE LOW OVER THE EASTERN GULF TO
SPREAD SMALL CRAFT WINDS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS AND ANOTHER BATCH
OF RAIN. THE LOW WILL BEGIN TO WEAKEN AS A STRONG STORM FORCE LOW
BEGINS TO DEVELOP AND TAP INTO THE COLD AIR FROM THE NW. STRONG
CYCLOGENISIS WILL DEVELOP AS THE LOW LIFTS OUT OF THE NORTH
PACIFIC AND DEEPEN TO THE LOWER 970MBS. THIS STORM IS GOING TO BE
VERY DANGEROUS WITH STORM FORCE WINDS OVER THE COASTAL AREAS TUE
ALONG WITH A POSSIBLE HIGH WIND OVER SOUTHERN COASTAL AND INNER
CHANNELS. AS A STRONG LLJ OF 80KT WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE
WEATHER FRONT. THE REST OF THE PANHANDLE WILL SEE STRONG WINDS
DEVELOP FROM THE NORTH THROUGH THE DAY WITH THE MAX WINDS IN THE
EVENING FROM THE SOUTH AS THE LOW DRIFTS WEST OF PASI. SEAS WILL
BUILD FROM 24 TO 29 FT AS THE SWELL MOVES INTO THE EASTERN GULF.
AS MENTIONED EARLIER THERE IS SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE TRACK WITH
THIS LOW. THE EC BRINGS THE LOW 60NM OF PASI WHILE THE GFS HAS IT
ABOUT 160NM...SO ATTM DID A BLEND OF THE TWO TO SPLIT THE
DIFFERENCE. LATER SHIFTS WILL NEED TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS
SYSTEM.
ONCE THIS SYSTEM DRIFTS NORTH AND SPLITS WITH PART OF THE ENERGY
MOVING INTO THE YUKON AND A RESIDUAL LOW IN THE NORTHERN GULF THE
ENTIRE UPPER TROF WILL BEGIN TO SLIDE TO THE EAST THROUGH THE REST
OF THE WEEK. THIS WILL KEEP RAIN LIKELY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA
WITH WEAKER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS MOVING INTO THE GULF.
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM AKDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR AKZ026>028.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 4 PM AKDT THIS
AFTERNOON FOR AKZ020>022-024.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM AKDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR AKZ023-025.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM AKDT THIS MORNING FOR AKZ022-029.
MARINE...STORM WARNING FOR PKZ036.
GALE WARNING FOR PKZ012-021-022-033>035-041>043.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ011-013-031-032-051.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY DUE TO SEAS FOR PKZ052.
&&
TA/ABJ4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Although there were no land observations available for this wind storm, hurricane force NE wind was detected at Cape Spenser at 1400 AKST on 10/9.
Sitka Airport had measured gusts as high as 56 KT at 0748 AKST on 10/9. Numerous gusts were observed in the 50s.
Hydaburg ASOS measured a gust to 51 KT at 2216 AKST on 10/9. Stronger gusts were estimated on the north end of Prince of Wales Island as the low center moved into the central panhandle. Power outages due to downed trees.
Heavy rain accompanied the extreme hurricane force winds that slammed the Ketchikan area. Boats went adrift from moorings. Power was out for hours. Numerous trees were downed due to the wind. 110 KT measured in the Thomas Boat Basin. The airport only had gusts to 61 KT. Trees bent over as never before... from a spotter report.
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, October 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: 261790, 261792, 261801, 261804.