High Wind in Alaska, December 27 to 30, 2014

Name: High Wind in Alaska, December 27 to 30, 2014
Start: 2014-12-27T13:29
End: 2014-12-30T19:40
Location: Alaska

December 27 to 30, 2014 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong pressure gradient developed in channeled areas of the Alaska range on the 27th of December. A 1055 mb high over the Yukon and a 990 Low over the Bering Sea induced the pressure gradient.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.

A strong pressure gradient developed in channeled areas of the Alaska range on the 27th of December. A 1055 mb high over the Yukon and a 990 Low over the Bering Sea induced the pressure gradient. A surface trough moved across the range as well.|High winds were reported on the 29th at:

Zone 226: The U.S. Army Mesonet station Texas Condo reported wind gust to 76 kt (87 mph).|Zone 225: Peak wind gust of 69 kt (79 mph) reported at the State of Alaska Department of Transportation Mesonet site named Antler Creek.

What forecasters said that day

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 Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 27, 12:43 PM AKST, 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 27, 12:43 PM AKST, 46 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1243 PM AKST SAT DEC 27 2014

.DISCUSSION...

UPPER AIR...
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE EXTENDING FROM WRANGEL ISLAND TO THE KENAI
PENINSULA AND SOUTHEASTWARD WILL MOVE EAST TO LIE ALONG THE ALCAN
BORDER AND SOUTHWARD BY SUN AFTERNOON. LOW AMPLITUDE SHORT WAVE
TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS WILL MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE
EASTERN BERING SEA TONIGHT...AND ACROSS NORTHWEST ALASKA AND THE
CHUKCHI SEA SUN...THEN CURVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE ARCTIC OCEAN
SUN NIGHT INTO MON...GRADUALLY INTENSIFYING DURING THE PERIOD. THE
SHORT WAVE WILL FLATTEN THE TOP OF THE UPPER RIDGE...RIDGE AXIS
MOVING INTO THE ALCAN BORDER SUN NIGHT. ANOTHER RIDGE WILL
REBUILD OVER ALASKA BY MON NIGHT WITH THE AXIS EXTENDING FROM
NORTHWEST ALASKA SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE PANHANDLE. ANOTHER SHORT
WAVE WILL MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE BERING SEA AND WEST COAST TUE
INTO WED.

SURFACE...
OCCLUDED FRONT HAS MOVED NORTH OF ST LAWRENCE ISLAND AND WILL BE
MOVING NORTHWARD AND STRETCHING A BIT EASTWARD ACROSS THE WEST
COAST THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A WAVE NORTH OF THE EASTERN
ALEUTIANS WILL MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE EASTERN BERING SEA...DEVELOPING
INTO A 998 MB LOW NEAR THE CHUKOTSK PEN BY SUN MORNING. THIS LOW
WILL MOVE NORTHWARD INTO THE CHUKCHI SEA BY SUN EVENING...THEN
CURVE ACROSS THE ARCTIC OCEAN THROUGH MON WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN
INTENSITY. ANOTHER LOW WILL MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE EASTERN
BERING SEA MON NIGHT AND TUE. GOES IR LOOP SHOWING A STRONG
MOISTURE FEED NORTHWARD ACROSS THE WEST AND SOUTHERN AREAS OF THE
WESTERN INTERIOR.

THE NORTHWARD MOVING FRONT WILL PRODUCE SNOW OVER THE THE
SOUTHERN WEST COAST AREAS TONIGHT...SPREADING TO THE NORTHERN WEST
COAST AREAS SUN. SNOW DEVELOPING OVER THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR SUN
MORNING AND SPREADING OVER MOST OF THE WESTERN INTERIOR SUN.
SNOW CONTINUING REDEVELOPING OVER THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE WEST
COAST SUN NIGHT. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS EXPECTED IN ZONE 209...
ESPECIALLY AT KOTZEBUE...AND LOCAL BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED IN ZONE 207...AS THE NORTHWARD MOVING SURFACE
SYSTEM TIGHTENS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE NORTHERN
WEST COAST. AIR MASS TEMPERATURES WILL BE WARM ENOUGH FOR
THE PRECIPITATION TO BE MIXED IN PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN WEST
COAST AND SOUTHWEST INTERIOR.

STRONG SOUTHERLY CHINOOK WINDS WILL DEVELOP IN ALASKA RANGE
PASSES SUN MORNING AND CONTINUE AT LEAST INTO MONDAY NIGHT.
HIGH WIND WARNINGS WILL BE POSTED FOR THE ALASKA RANGE PASSES.
ADVISORY LEVEL WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED IN AREAS NEAR DELTA
JUNCTION.

STRONG GUSTY SOUTH WINDS DEVELOPING IN BROOKS RANGE PASSES LATE
TONIGHT CONTINUING THROUGH SUN NIGHT. BLOWING SNOW IN PASSES
MAY CAUSE LOW VISIBILITY. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES WILL BE
POSTED FOR THE BROOKS RANGE PASSES.

BRISK EAST WINDS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE ARCTIC COAST AND
OFF SHORE AREAS TONIGHT AS A SURFACE HIGH OVER NORTHEAST ALASKA
SHIFTS EASTWARD INTO THE YUKON TERRITORY. BRISK WINDS WILL
GRADUALLY SHIFT TO SOUTHWEST AS THE SURFACE LOW TRACKS EASTWARD
ACROSS THE ARCTIC COAST.

COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ217-AKZ223.

HIGH WIND WARNING FOR AKZ225-AKZ226-AKZ227.

WINTER STORM WARNING FOR AKZ207-AKZ210-AKZ211-AKZ212-AKZ213-
AKZ215-AKZ216.

BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ209.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ205-AKZ206.

HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR PKZ210.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ230-PKZ235.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230-
PKZ235-PKZ240-PKZ245.

&&

RF DEC 14

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When: December 27, 1:29 PM AKST to December 30, 7:40 PM AKST
Where: Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
Measured: 76 kt (87 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

High Wind, Denali

When: December 28, 10:20 AM AKST to December 30, 7:20 AM AKST
Where: Denali forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, December 2014

Sources

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: 551424, 551443.