A robust frontal boundary across the northern Gulf Coast brought strong winds to Southcentral Alaska. The 850 mb jet peaked near 75 knots across Turnagain Arm and some of these winds mixed down to the surface and some higher elevations.
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 robust frontal boundary across the northern Gulf Coast brought strong winds to Southcentral Alaska. The 850 mb jet peaked near 75 knots across Turnagain Arm and some of these winds mixed down to the surface and some higher elevations. This produced widespread gusts in excess of 65 mph, thousands of power outages and some property damage.
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 Oct 26, 2:57 AM AKST, 7 hours 3 minutes earlier.
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 357 AM AKDT Thu Oct 26 2017 .ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS... The main low impacting the area has pushed into the eastern Bering with its front moving through the southern mainland. The strong push of warm, southerly air has brought mostly rain to the area with the exception of higher elevations and some locations further inland. This deep low has also brought strong winds to areas across the southern mainland due to the strong pressure gradient it created. && .MODEL DISCUSSION... The models are in fairly good agreement early on until the mid term when they struggle with several lows approaching the Aleutians from the south Friday and Saturday. There are differences with timing, position and intensity of these lows leading to lower confidence in what they will do as they near the islands. The thing they do agree on is that they will bring more warm air to the region. && .AVIATION... PANC...As a front pushes through this morning, winds will increase to warning level along Turnagain Arm bringing southeast gusts over the airport around 50 KT. Strong winds will continue into the early afternoon before diminishing by late afternoon. Winds should stay out of the southeast throughout the TAF period. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 and 2)... A robust front along the north Gulf coast will bring strong winds across Southcentral today. The highest winds will be situated along the Gulf coast and eastward across Turnagain Arm into Anchorage. The 850 mb jet will peak at near 75 kt over Turnagain arm around noon. The front will then move inland and weaken rapidly in the afternoon. Strong south-southwest flow aloft will continue through tonight, bringing more rain and showers to the area. On Friday, an upper level trough will swing through Southcentral, with the flow aloft becoming more westerly. By late Friday conditions will dry out in this westerly flow, and a ridge will build over the area Friday night. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA (Days 1 and 2)... Relatively warmer air will continue to influence the region today and much of Friday. Widespread southerly flow coincident with an enhanced pressure gradient is anticipated throughout the day. A negative tilt shortwave will get kicked out from the upper level vortex and move across southwest today. With the dynamics and the moisture in place, expect another round of unsettled weather albeit with mild temperatures. As time elapses, a re- enforcing shot of energy will be ejected from the vortex on Friday fueling another round of precipitation which will predominately be snow or a rain/snow mix in the interior and rain along the coast. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days 1 and 2)... A 979 mb surface low near Unalaska will continue to weaken as it pushes along the Aleutian archipelago before recurving northeast into Bristol Bay and over Hooper Bay. Gusty winds from this low will continue to impact the region, although the peak gusts are on a downward trend as the low continues to slowly fill. The latest scatterometer pass on satellite pings into gale force winds north of the Aleutian chain around the backside of the low. A brief respite is projected this evening before the next mature storm enters the domain. The next Kamchatka low has already developed an occlusion and the precipitation shield is in the vicinity of Attu Island. The models bring the triple point low into the Central Bering on Friday and more wet and unsettled weather is projected for the western and central Aleutians. && .LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 3 through 7)... The warmer pattern will continue through the weekend as broad southwest flow remains focused over the southern mainland between the Bering Sea trough and a stout northeast Pacific ridge. Friday night into Saturday will also bring a break in precipitation for Southcentral Alaska as high pressure briefly builds into the central Gulf behind the departing system. Widespread rain will then return to the area on Sunday as the next North Pacific low moves into the eastern Bering accompanied by a front over the Gulf. This will provide a reinforcing shot of warm air, with the heaviest rain focused along the north Gulf coast through Monday morning before that system also departs to the north. There is lower confidence in how the pattern unfolds going into the middle of the week as models continue to struggle with the evolution of high pressure building into the Bering and western Alaska behind the departing trough. The GFS/GEM both eventually develop a closed high that drifts well to the north into the Chukchi Sea. This would allow another trough to undercut the ridge and move back into southern Alaska, keeping a chance of rain in the forecast through the middle of the week. Meanwhile, European guidance depicts a much more coherent blocking ridge over the western mainland, which would keep most of the area dry through much of the week in a weak offshore flow regime. Given the uncertainty, the current forecast attempts to split the difference in keeping a chance of rain over the southern mainland into the middle of next week while gradually trending temperatures down closer to seasonal normal values. && .AFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...High Wind Warning...101. Winter Weather Advisory...145. MARINE...Gales...120 129 173 174 175 176 351. Storms...119 125. && SYNOPSIS AND MODEL DISCUSSION...DK SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...BL SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...PJS LONG TERM...MTL
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple reports of winds in excess of 65 kts across the Anchorage Hillside. Chugach Electric Compacy reported over 3000 houses without power due to wind damage to the utilities.
Max wind gust of 85 mph late in the morning near Glen Alps. Some trees were down in the area and power was out.
NWS Employee suffered structural damage to house due to high winds. Sections of fencing were blown down and minor to moderate roof damage was reported due to shingles being removed by high winds.
Mesonet site in Potter Marsh recorded a wind speed of 78 mph at 10:36 and a max wind gust of 87 mph at 11:30.
Reports of wind gusts up to 80 mph and siding missing from a house near Glen Alps.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, October 2017
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: 723436, 723438, 723433, 723434, 723439.