A southerly jet stream brought several low pressure systems to Southcentral Alaska. These were accompanied by above freezing temperatures, abundant rainfall, and high winds as the fronts passed through.
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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 southerly jet stream brought several low pressure systems to Southcentral Alaska. These were accompanied by above freezing temperatures, abundant rainfall, and high winds as the fronts passed through.
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 Dec 9, 4:07 AM AKST, 2 hours 43 minutes earlier.
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 407 AM AKST Mon Dec 9 2019 .ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS... A strong area of low pressure centered south of the Alaska Peninsula is slowly drifting northward into the eastern Bering. The associated storm force front is lifting northward over the southern Mainland, bringing heavy rain and gusty southeasterly winds to the northern Gulf coast. Meanwhile over Southwest, this same low is producing gusty northeasterly winds and rain across the Alaska Peninsula while farther north along the Kuskokwim Delta Coast, temperatures are cold enough for snow. Snowfall combined with gusty winds has significantly reduced visibility across that area this morning. Farther west, weak cyclonic circulation is in place over the central Bering while another low centered south of Shemya with a central pressure near 980 mb continues to move eastward, tracking along the south side of the Chain. && .MODEL DISCUSSION... Overall model solutions are in great agreement for the short-term and the track of the low center as it lifts northward along the southwest coast of Alaska through Tuesday. Differences arise by Tuesday night as another North Pacific low tracks northward toward the southern Mainland. Model solutions continue to differ on the exact track and location of this low center by midweek. Overall, forecast confidence is average. && .AVIATION... PANC...Wind shear will continue to be the main threat as another front lifts inland this morning. Winds will be out of the north at the terminal while strong southeasterly flow will persist aloft through the morning. Expect gusty southeasterly flow to arrive at the terminal by Monday evening. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 and 2)... A strong weather front will move through the area today. This will bring very strong winds to Turnagain Arm and the higher elevations around Anchorage. This system is also loaded with moisture and is quite warm. Heavy precipitation is expected along and near the Gulf coast. Very little precipitation is expected for inland areas due to strong downsloping easterly winds aloft. The front will move inland late this afternoon into the evening. The winds along Turnagain arm will then diminish. The downsloping component will also weaken, and some precipitation should work its way inland. The winds over the Anchorage area will then become southerly and increase. This will push temperatures into the 40s. The front will dissipate on Tuesday and precipitation and winds will diminish considerably. Another front will move into the Gulf late Tuesday, then move north to near the Gulf coast late Tuesday night. This next system will not be as strong as today's (Monday) storm, with winds and precipitation generally staying over the Gulf to just along the Gulf coast. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA (Days 1 and 2)... Temperatures will continue to rise above freezing this morning as a North Pacific low keeps on its path northward through the afternoon. Many areas in Bristol Bay have already warmed up with this warm front, causing snow to transition to rain. Areas along the Kuskokwim Delta Coast will continue to see potential blowing snow out ahead of the front this morning, with gusty conditions up to 45 mph. However, conditions will improve late this morning into the afternoon as temperatures continue to rise. Strong winds will continue across Southwest Alaska through Tuesday morning when the low center moves into the northern Bering. By Tuesday afternoon, showers begin to taper off across the region before the next possible system brings precipitation to the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay for Wednesday. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days 1 and 2)... A powerful 950 mb low centered near Port Heiden this morning will move northward between the Pribilofs and Southwest Alaska by this afternoon. Strong winds will persist over the eastern Bering and in Bristol Bay through tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, northerly gales this afternoon will continue across the Pribilofs and central Bering. The winds quickly switch over to westerly flow overnight for the central and western Bering and Aleutians as the low center tracks into the northern Bering for Tuesday morning. Rain and snow showers are likely to continue through Tuesday for much of the Bering and Aleutians. && .MARINE (Days 3 through 5)... ...Bering Sea and Aleutian Coastal Waters... A pair of low pressure systems will affect the region. The first low moves from the northern Bering toward the Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday as it retrogrades (moves west), with sustained gales likely north of 60N and west of 175W. Farther east, a north Pacific low moving toward the Alaska Peninsula (AKPEN) will also bring sustained gales to Bristol Bay and coastal waters of the AKPEN. The winds will then subside for both locations on Thursday and Friday. Seas look to generally remain at or below 15 feet through the period. ...Gulf of Alaska... A front will move from south to north across the region on Wednesday, with sustained gales preceding it. Given a long fetch length, seas are expected to build into the 20 to 25 feet range ahead of this feature. The winds will subside for Thursday and Friday, but the waves will take more time. We expect seas to remain near 20 feet for the southern and eastern Gulf on Thursday before decreasing on Friday. && .LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 3 through 7)... Models continue to struggle with the specifics of the long term forecast, but some general signals can still be gleaned in the noise. Synoptically, a progressive pattern will persist over the Bering and Alaska. A vertically stacked low in the northern Bering Sea Wednesday will continue steering modified Arctic air over the Aleutians and Bering. The low will continue to gradually weaken and shift toward Siberia, but in the meantime expect scattered showers over much of the Bering/Aleutians through Thursday. Meanwhile, a low that is currently roughly 400 miles southwest of Shemya will quickly traverse the North Pacific over the next few days. As this low tracks northeast of 50N 150W it will push a warm occluded front towards the North Gulf Coast, likely in the Wednesday to Thursday timeframe. This should trigger a healthy round of precipitation along the North Gulf Coast and Alaska/Aleutian Range. South/southeast facing slopes should get the heaviest precipitation, while areas in the lee (e.g., Anchorage Bowl, western Kenai Peninsula, Bristol Bay) will be more of a challenge with shadowing. While it's early to get into specifics with respect to precipitation type, this looks like a fairly warm system... the mountains should get snow but in lower lying areas precipitation type will be a challenge. Friday into the weekend, models indicate a strong low or series of lows traversing the Aleutians, bringing a round of strong southerly winds and precipitation. In short, temperatures will largely be near or above average with a southerly component to the flow over southern Alaska for much of the Wednesday through Sunday timeframe. In addition, precipitation will mostly be focused along the North Gulf Coast. && .AFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...NPW 101, 125. WSW 155. MARINE...Storms 119, 120, 130-132, 136-141, 351, 352. Gales 125, 128, 129, 150, 160, 165, 177, 178-181, 185, 411, 412, 414. FIRE WEATHER...NONE. && SYNOPSIS AND MODEL DISCUSSION...KO SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...BL SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...AH MARINE/LONG TERM...PD/MM
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Portage Alaska Railroad observation station recorded a wind gust to 74 mph.
McHugh Creek RWIS station recorded a 113 mph wind gust during the event.
Primary impact of this episode was flooding of the Anchor Point River. North Fork Road at mile 15.5 was impassable, water was over the Sterling Highway in several locations between mile 161 and 163, flooding across East End Road at Bear Creek Drive and a mudslide on East End Road at Kachemak Bay Drive. Water also flooded the Anchor River State Recreation area and surrounded multiple recreation cabins in the area.
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, December 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: 864078, 864079, 859961.