A 974 MB low in the central Gulf had a series of strong, associated fronts move onshore over the Panhandle on 9/20. This caused a burst of wind that caused some some tree blowdowns and some minor damage in Juneau.
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 AJK wrote it up.
A 974 MB low in the central Gulf had a series of strong, associated fronts move onshore over the Panhandle on 9/20. This caused a burst of wind that caused some some tree blowdowns and some minor damage in Juneau.
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 Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 20, 5:06 AM AKST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
606 AM AKDT Fri Sep 20 2019
.SHORT TERM...A strong weather front is over the eastern gulf and
panhandle this morning and will continue to affect the region
through the short-term forecast period. Many locations have
already seen moderate to heavy rain and gusty winds of 35mph. The
Cape Suckling buoy (46082) has already seen a peak gust of 51kt,
so the Storm Warning remains in effect for that area early this
morning. Expect both wind and rainfall to increase throughout the
day, with peak conditions in Yakutat now thru mid-day; Sitka mid-
morning thru afternoon; Juneau mid-morning thru early evening;
southern panhandle late afternoon thru evening. The Haines/Skagway
area will see wind gusts increasing to 40 mph by late afternoon,
then continuing through the night as the pressure orientation
becomes more favorable with wind there after the main part of the
front has passed.
Still looking at 2-4 inches of rain with this system through
tonight. Based on how rivers/streams reacted to the last front, some
nearing bankfull is a possibility. The Taiya River has the greatest
likelihood of going above flood stage, so a watch remains in effect
for that area. Otherwise, ponding of water in low lying areas and on
roadways is likely.
The low pressure center assoc with today's front will approach PWS
late tonight, then linger just offshore through Saturday. This low
position will keep the region under SWLY onshore flow. This along
with CAA behind the front, typically is a set up for numerous
showers, so look for wet weather to continue into the weekend.
Models remain in good agreement with the front. They deepened the
low slightly, so confidence in strong wind is high. Increased some
wind gusts and fine-tuned timing of peak winds.
.LONG TERM.../Sunday through Friday as of 10 pm Thursday/
The weather will be most active during the first half of the long
range period, then a quieter pattern is becoming more likely
during the latter part. A strong occluded front will move NE into
the area Sun night into Mon. Looking like a significant low will
form and move NNE into the gulf by Mon morning, then curve back
to the W and merge with the original parent low that will be
moving E into the gulf during Mon. This combined low should move
across the gulf and through SE AK Tue. After that, there may be a
couple of weaker systems that might move in toward midweek, then
looking like late week into the weekend will see upper ridging
developing over much of the gulf and SE AK. Used mainly the 12z
GFS to handle things through 00z Tue, then WPC/NBM after that. Did
use 21z SREF to help with POPS through late Sun night.
One of the main model issues is how far E the developing low will
track before it curves back and merges with the parent low. 12z GFS
represented a middle ground compromise, taking low into the
central gulf, with the 12z Canadian further W and the 12z ECMWF
further E. The timing of the occluded front moving onshore was
slowed some. Overall, system looks fairly wet and windy, but with
the main upper level jet sinking S fairly early in the period, a
prolonged heavy rain event is less likely with the front. May get
some heavier precip Mon night into Tue as the combined low moves E
and onshore flow increases.
Precip chances look like they will decrease for the latter half
of the long term as upper ridging takes over across the area.
Still some important amplitude and positional differences to work
out with the placement of the ridge axis, so cannot completely
remove mention of precip further out yet.
&&
.AJK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
PUBLIC...Strong Wind from 10 AM this morning to 4 PM AKDT this afternoon
for AKZ025.
Strong Wind until 1 PM AKDT this afternoon for AKZ023.
Strong Wind through this evening for AKZ021.
Strong Wind from 4 PM AKDT this afternoon through late tonight
for AKZ019.
Flood Watch from this evening through Saturday morning for
AKZ018.
Strong Wind from 4 PM AKDT this afternoon through late tonight
for AKZ018.
Strong Wind through this evening for AKZ017.
MARINE...Storm Warning for PKZ052.
Gale Warning for PKZ013-031>036-041>043-051.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ011-012-021-022-053.
&&
Ferrin/RWT
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/JuneauPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
900 AM AKDT FRI SEP 20 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0730 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG 10 NW JUNEAU 58.40N 134.62W
09/20/2019 AK NWS EMPLOYEE
SECTIONS OF FENCE DAMAGED AND BLOWN DOWN.
&&
CM1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Although no wind observations in the Juneau area on 9/20 measured 60 MPH, there were several blowdowns of trees and power outages. One vehicle was damaged by a tree.
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, September 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: 854790.