A 985 millibar low pressure system moving into the Western Bering Sea combined with strong high pressure over the mainland Alaska resulted in strong southerly winds through the Bering Strait.
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 AFG wrote it up.
A 985 millibar low pressure system moving into the Western Bering Sea combined with strong high pressure over the mainland Alaska resulted in strong southerly winds through the Bering Strait.
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 Apr 28, 4:38 AM AKST, 16 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 538 AM AKDT Sun Apr 28 2019 .DISCUSSION... Synopsis...Generally very nice weather for the forecast area, but on the fringes of the high pressure there will be some cloudiness, and some showers. Strong high pressure with deep low pressure to the west, so strong gusty winds on the coast with the strongest winds on the Capes and over the marine areas. Temperatures will continue to slowly warm and Relative Humidity values will continue to slowly fall. Models...Handling the ridging well, but struggling a bit with the low to the east that will dig west late in the week brining some cooler temperatures. 28/12Z solutions initialized well with good run to run agreement the last few days. Using NAM/SREF blend for precipitation, and the NAMDNG for winds. Aloft...At 500 hpa...Ridging continues to build with a 557 dam high over Hughes this morning with a ridge axis extending northeast over Deadhorse, then north over the Arctic. Ridging also extends to the southwest over Unalaska to a high over the Central Pacific. Troughing has dug in over Southcentral Alaska with a 553 dam low over Cook Inlet. Ridging continues over the Northeast Pacific with a 548 dam low moving north over 160W as it weakens. The longwave trough remains to the west with a 516 dam low 500 nm northwest of Wrangel Island, a 522 dam low over the Kamchatka Peninsula, and a 521 dam low 400 nm southwest of Shemya. A shortwave is moving northeast across the Arctic this morning, and will be over the high Arctic this evening. Another shortwave is over the Central Bering Sea and will move over the Chukotsk Peninsula and Bering Strait this evening. The shortwave will continue to the northeast as it moves over the Arctic and into the Canadian Archipelago by Tuesday morning. Ridging over the state continues to build as the center moves over Coldfoot by Monday morning at 564 dam. The low over Southcentral also deepens as the low is cutoff from the trough and moves southwest over Illiamna Lake Monday morning, then moves northwest over the Lower Yukon Delta at 550 dam as it starts to merge with the lower heights to the west. The low will be over the Bering Strait by Tuesday morning at 548 dam, the moves northwest over the Chukchi Sea, then north over the Dateline. As the low moves northwest then west the ridge will continue to build to the east with a 570 dam center over Prudhoe Bay, and ridging extending south to a 571 dam high in the Northeast Pacific. At 850 hpa...Temperatures over the forecast area are generally in the -4C to -7C range this morning and will be warming as the ridging builds aloft over the area the next few days. By Monday afternoon temperatures over the Tanana Valley, and along the West Coast will rise to around 0C. Temperatures will continue to slowly warm to around 4C over most of the forecast area by Wednesday morning. Temperatures do cool along the AlCan border midweek as a trough aloft digs to the southwest. Surface...High pressure over the state with a 1035 mb high over Bettles, a 1036 mb high over Old Crow YT, and a 1034 mb high over Central, and high pressure extending south to a 1036 mb high just west of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Low pressure to the west with a 1002 mb low over the Siberian Arctic, a 988 mb low over the Western Bering Sea. A 1005 mb low is 400 nm south of Sand Point and will remain quasi stationary into Monday then merge with the low pressure over the Bering Sea. By Monday evening high pressure continues over most of the state with a 1033 mb high near Arctic Village, and a 1033 mb high over the Eastern Gulf of Alaska while low pressure remains to the west. A 1032 mb high will be over the Eastern Brooks Range, and high pressure will be building over the Eastern Gulf Coast. A low pressure system over the Pacific will move northeast into the Bering Sea merging with the dissipating lows into a 979 mb low over the Western Bering Sea. A weak leeside trough will develop north of the Alaska Range Monday evening. Arctic Coast and Brooks Range...Stratus and fog hanging around the coast will be the biggest issue to deal with short term. The 28/1132Z VIIRS Nighttime Microphysics RGB product shows quite a bit of stratus and fog over the Arctic. The fog looks pretty set in around Kaktovik, Prudhoe Bay and over the Central Arctic Coast, but is not as dense when moving inland. Expect some clearing during the day with improved visibility. A front out west will bring some showers to the Northwest Arctic Coast Monday and Tuesday, along with some strong gusty winds to 50 mph west of Point Lay. Temperatures warming. West Coast and Western Interior...Partly to mostly cloudy with precipitation remaining to the west for the most part. Some rain moving over the Chukchi Sea may move far enough east to move over Point Hope, and there is a chance of showers in the Bering Strait. Southeast to south winds will be increasing as the gradient tightens up across the area between the high in Interior Alaska and the low in the Western Bering Sea. Winds generally 20 mph to 35 mph gusting to 45 mph on the Capes, but winds in the Bering Strait will be a bit stronger with winds gusting near 60 mph. Temperatures warming. Central and Eastern Interior...Mostly clear skies with generally light winds and temperatures rising into the 50s to lower 60s will continue into midweek. Overnight lows will be in the 20s to lower 30s. && Extended Forecast for days 4 to 7...A low over Canada may bring some cooler temperatures late in the week to the Eastern Interior, otherwise warm and dry for most of the forecast area. Some showers possible along the fringes of the high pressure on the West Coast and Arctic Coast. && Hydrology...Warm temperatures through the week with elevated freezing levels will allow for higher elevation snowpack to start melting. The Yukon River went out at Dawson on Friday and with the warmer temperatures this could be an active week on the Yukon river in Alaska. && Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None. && .Fire Weather...Warmer and drier the next few days with Relative Humidity values falling into the teens in the Middle and Upper Tanana Valley, but winds will be generally light and variable. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning for AKZ213. Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230. && SDB APR 19
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The tight pressure gradient across the Bering Strait and northern Bering Sea resulted in southerly wind gusts from 40 to over 60 mph over the marine area and along coastal capes. The strongest winds were reported at Wales (PAIW) where gusts to 61 mph were observed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2019
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: 827313.