A storm force low brought a powerful early autumn front that moved from S to N through the panhandle beginning on September 27.
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 storm force low brought a powerful early autumn front that moved from S to N through the panhandle beginning on September 27.
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 27, 5:25 AM AKST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
625 AM AKDT Sun Sep 27 2020
.SHORT TERM...A storm force low has entered the Gulf, and its
associated front is sweeping into the panhandle. The models
remain largely in agreement on timing and intensity of this
system, though they have perhaps backed off just a bit on the
strength of winds over the Gulf. Given this good agreement, and
the favorable atmospheric dynamics, the forecast remains largely
unchanged, with winds and rain still expected to be the primary
impacts of the front for SE Alaska.
A high wind warning remains in effect for much of Prince of
Wales, Hydaburg, and Ketchikan through Sunday morning. Sitka will
also experience impactful winds, resulting in a high wind warning
through Sunday afternoon. For Juneau, think that some post frontal
instability will help mix down stronger winds later in the day on
Sunday, and so continued the high wind warning from Sunday
afternoon through Sunday evening. Elsewhere, strong winds with
gusts from 40 to 55 mph are expected across much of the rest of
the Panhandle. Many of the inner channels will see gales or small
craft strength winds throughout Sunday, depending on the
particular channel in question. Aloft, a strong jet in the lower
levels will create wind shear which could pose a challenge to
aviation interests through the remainder of the weekend.
Precipitation amounts and timing continue to look solid, with only
minimal changes made. It still looks like this system will bring
1.5 to 3 inches to the area by the time it departs on Monday. The
heaviest amounts are still expected across the southern
Panhandle. Lowered pops slightly Monday night into Tuesday, as
flow briefly turns more offshore while the next frontal feature
approaches the panhandle. Temperatures will remain fairly steady
with 40s and 50s dominating as cloud cover remains abundant. The
one possible exception to this could be Monday night, where
temperatures may dip lower if sufficient breaks in the clouds
emerge as some guidance is indicating. Will need to monitor this
as additional data becomes available. The NAM and GFS were the
models of choice, and forecaster confidence is average.
.LONG TERM...Wednesday through Saturday...As of 9 PM Sat...Little
change in the pattern with a longwave trough over AK Pen/N Pac
and ridging over west coast of North America. However, models are
coming into somewhat better agreement regarding the timing of
fronts pushing through the gulf and into the panhandle. Period
begins with a front moving through the NE gulf coast. Decreasing
sky cover Tue night into Wed could allow fog to form, so included
mention over POW Wed morning. Another front will bring another
round of precip to the region Wed night into Thu. Then models
trend towards ridging becoming better established over the region
with the next front not reaching the area until Fri night into
Sat. Ensembles continue to indicate low level temps 2-4 stddev
above normal so expect temps to be slightly above normal through
the period. Overall forecast confidence remains a little above
average.
&&
.AJK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
PUBLIC...Strong Wind until 1 PM AKDT this afternoon for AKZ026.
High Wind Warning until noon AKDT today for AKZ027-028.
Strong Wind until 10 AM AKDT this morning for AKZ021-024.
High Wind Warning from 1 PM this afternoon to 10 PM AKDT this
evening for AKZ025.
Strong Wind through this evening for AKZ022.
High Wind Warning until 6 PM AKDT this evening for AKZ023.
Strong Wind from 4 PM AKDT this afternoon through this evening
for AKZ020.
Strong Wind from 1 PM AKDT this afternoon through Monday morning
for AKZ019.
Strong Wind from this evening through Monday afternoon for
AKZ018.
Strong Wind from 10 AM AKDT this morning through this evening
for AKZ017.
MARINE...Storm Warning for PKZ041>043-051-052.
Gale Warning for PKZ012-013-021-022-031>034-036-053.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ011-035.
&&
GFS/BC
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/JuneauPreliminary Local Storm Report
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
914 AM AKDT Sun Sep 27 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0845 AM High Wind CRAIG 55.48N 133.14W
09/27/2020 U0 MPH AK Co-Op Observer
Damaging Winds. Shed blow over near Main and 5th st Craig
AK.
&&
pboydPreliminary Local Storm Report...Corrected
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
923 AM AKDT Sun Sep 27 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0845 AM High Wind CRAIG 55.48N 133.14W
09/27/2020 U0.00 MPH AK Co-Op Observer
Damaging Winds. Shed blow over near Main and 5th st Craig
AK.
0919 AM High Wind HYDABURG 55.21N 132.83W
09/27/2020 M62.00 MPH AK AWOS
&&
pboyd2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hydaburg AWOS reported a gust of 62 mph at 918 am. A shed was blown over in Craig.
Wind sensor at Sitka AML dock gusts to 68 mph, other locations around Sitka gusted 60 to 64 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, September 2020
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: 922575, 922576.