A strong low pressure system developed just south of the Aleutian chain and brought a frontal system through the Eastern Aleutians and the Alaska Peninsula. Westerly winds behind the front were enhanced by terrain.
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 low pressure system developed just south of the Aleutian chain and brought a frontal system through the Eastern Aleutians and the Alaska Peninsula. Westerly winds behind the front were enhanced by terrain.
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 Nov 26, 4:19 AM AKST, 1 hour 37 minutes earlier.
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 419 AM AKST Sat Nov 26 2016 .ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS... Infrared and water vapor satellite imagery depicts a strong cyclone currently at or near peak intensity about 100 miles southwest of the Pribilof Islands. An overnight ASCAT pass on winds depicts a broad area of storm-force winds extending from near the Central Aleutians well south into the North Pacific to near 49N latitude. A strong jet streak (estimated 125kt or more from 500 mb on up) and strong low level baroclinicity and convergence support high winds and moderate to heavy precipitation, particularly along the southern periphery of the low. Also of note, a very strong potential vorticity anomaly is evident in water vapor imagery (very dry air) just south of the low center and its associated front. This impressive anomaly has persisted through the evening and overnight hours. This is favorable for thunderstorms as it moves over top of low level warm and moist air. There has been some change in the track of the low overnight, and this has resulted in some impacts on our warnings. With a more southern track to this low closer to the Alaska Peninsula, the Blizzard Warning was cancelled last evening for the area around Kuskokwim Bay, as snow appears to be setting up just to the south. However, this southern track does not seem to change the expected impacts due to high winds across the Eastern Aleutians and Alaska Peninsula today. Looking downstream, a high amplitude trough is continuing to dig southeast across the far northern and eastern Gulf of Alaska. Along the northern extent of this trough, snow is falling across eastern Prince William Sound extending north into the Copper River Basin. The only other feature of note is that the mid and upper levels have dried out over southern Alaska out ahead of the aforementioned Bering cyclone, aiding in the development of stratus and fog over inland areas, which will become less and less of a problem through today as moisture increases in the middle and upper levels. && .MODEL DISCUSSION... As mentioned above, 00z models all shifted south with the low track from the southern Bering to the far southern Bristol Bay today and then as it moves into the Western Gulf of Alaska tonight. This has resulted in mainly a lowering of overall snow amounts (and associated blowing snow) over much of inland Southwest and Southcentral Alaska over the next couple of days. This includes the Anchorage area, where there no longer appears to be a significant up-inlet cold advection push that would be needed to support the heavier accumulations of snow that had been expected yesterday. && .AVIATION... PANC...Models are depicting a low-VFR ceiling through the morning, but it is not out of the question for some fog to develop as well. Have decided for now to keep the VCFG and keep the low-VFR ceilings until 20z, with rising ceilings thereafter as mid- and high-level clouds and low-level winds begin to increase as the next storm system approaches. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 and 2)... Light snow will diminish across the Copper River Basin as an upper trough moves east across the area. Gap/outflow winds across the eastern Kenai Pen and North Gulf Coast will diminish this morning as pressure gradients weaken. An upper 960s low moves from the Bering Sea to over Kodiak Island this evening then slowly weakens over the northern Gulf through Sunday. The associated occluded front moves to near Kodiak Island this morning then heads toward the northern Gulf as it stretches east. Rain will spread to Kodiak with the front this morning then head toward the Gulf Coast this afternoon. Precipitation along the coasts should trend toward a mix with inland areas holding generally as snow. The brunt of the precipitation should remain along the coasts and eastern Kenai Pen with only some light snow making it inland across the MATSU valleys and Anchorage Bowl today. Snow has a better shot across the MATSU valleys and Anchorage Bowl on late Sunday as a upper trough moves in from the west. Gales are expected with the front across the Gulf waters today with a band of storms on the backside across the Southern Gulf. Coastal marine areas south see some relief from the Gales on Sunday, however Gulf waters will still see some potential for westerly gales. Outflow conditions across the eastern Kenai Pen is expected to develop early Sunday and continue through Sunday night. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA... The low in the southern Bering that is tracking east will push its front over southwest Alaska this morning. It will start off bringing snow to the area accompanied by strong winds. These conditions will cause blowing snow for areas north and west of King Salmon that will bring blizzard conditions to the area. As the low pushes into the Gulf this evening both the snow and winds will diminish. With the southerly position of the low, other areas of southwest Alaska will see little snow accumulation but they will see strong northerly winds into tonight. Sunday into Monday will see calmer conditions for southwest Alaska with little in terms of new precipitation. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS... The low tracking across the southern Bering is bringing strong winds with it to the Aleutians aided in part by strong cold air advection. Areas of the Eastern Aleutians and Alaska Peninsula will see warning level winds that will increase from west to east throughout today. As the low moves off into the Gulf this evening the winds will weaken. The remainder of the weekend will be characterized by showers and and primarily westerly winds. Then on Monday a new front will push in over the Western Aleutians bringing rain, snow, and stronger winds to the islands. && .LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 3 through 7)... Models have trended south with the low crossing the Gulf of Alaska on Sunday but all still develop the remnant low over Prince William Sound Sunday evening after the main low tracks into the eastern Gulf then inland across Southeast Alaska. The combination the presence of this Prince William Sound surface low and the cold air advection from the upper trough over southwest Alaska pushing into southcentral Alaska increases confidence in the potential for a snow event over southcentral Alaska Sunday night. Current expected QPF amounts combined with a favorable snow growth temperature and moisture profile have the potential to bring around 4 to 6 inches of snow to the Anchorage Bowl and Hillside as well as the Matanuska Valley from Sunday evening through Monday morning. The snow will shift east over the Copper River Basin with several inches possible there through the day Monday as the low also shifts east. Out west, a surface low over the Bering Sunday night will weaken as it tracks east toward Bristol Bay Monday then dissipate as it crosses the Alaska Peninsula Monday Night. A stronger incoming frontal system will lift from the North Pacific up over the Aleutians Monday Night. The parent low will track from west to east just south of the Aleutians Tuesday and Wednesday as the front progresses across the Bering. South of the Gulf, another low will rapidly spin up Monday and Tuesday as it tracks toward the eastern Gulf and then swings inland across the Southeast Alaska Panhandle Tuesday Night. For Southcentral Alaska the biggest impacts of this system will be to substantially increase cold northwesterly outflow gap winds Tuesday and Tuesday night. For the second half of the week, a cold air mass will persist over much of mainland Alaska supported by continued upper level troughing and periodically being reinforced by arctic troughs swinging in from the northwest. A series of frontal systems tracking in from the west across the Aleutians and southern Bering as well as frontal systems lifting up through the Gulf will additional chances for snow to the area through the end of the week. && .AFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...High Wind Warning 181 185. Blizzard Warning 161. Blowing Snow Advisory 125. MARINE...Hurricane 155 170 172. Storm 130 132 150 165 171 173 174 175 176 352. Gales 119 120 131 138 160 177 178 179 180 351 413 414. && SYNOPSIS AND MODEL DISCUSSION...CC SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...RMC SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...DK LONG TERM...JR
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Dutch Harbor ASOS recorded a peak wind of 85 knots at 12:49. Over 6 consecutive hours of winds above 73 mph were recorded.
King Cove ASOS recorded a gust of 66 knots at 5 p.m.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, November 2016
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: 667223, 667221.