A low pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska brought strong winds to the Hydaburg area January 9th and 10.
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 low pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska brought strong winds to the Hydaburg area January 9th and 10.
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 Jan 9, 6:52 AM AKST, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
652 AM AKST Sat Jan 9 2021
.SHORT TERM.../Through Monday/Another day, another storm system
brings wind and precip to southeast Alaska. Early this morning,
today's storm is spinning south of the 50N latitude line and near
the 140W longitude line and it will be the main weather maker for
the panhandle. The projected track of the low is northward through
the gulf with a strong weather front that will extend from this
low and swing northward across the panhandle today and tonight.
During the day today, the front will arrive in the south this
morning with the rain and winds moving northward through the
afternoon. Storm force winds are expected across the gulf Sat
afternoon into Sat night. Wind gusts up to 60 mph or more are
possible for the southern outer coast this afternoon and tonight.
The inner channels are looking at some strong winds as well with
sustained winds up to 30 to 35 mph.
The precip will spread across the entire panhandle by the early
afternoon. Most areas can expect rain as temps will be on the warm
side, in the 30s to 40s. It's the Haines highway that may end up
being cold enough today and tonight to support snow. This is based
off an anticipated wind shift to the northwest that should funnel
some cold air from Canada down the Chilkat Valley. Currently,
temperatures are marginally cold enough for snow. And with the
amount of moisture expected, heavy snow would be likely.
Another, slightly weaker, front will bring a reinforcing shot of
precip and wind Sunday and Sunday night. Winds will still be
strong but expected wind gusts are in the 40 to 50 mph range in
the gulf with inner channel winds up to 20 to 30 mph.
And once again, the precip will fall mostly as rain around the
panhandle with snow expected on the highways. This time, it's the
Klondike Highway that would see the heavy snow, as the Haines
Highway should warm above freezing.
Forecaster confidence in the forecast is average to above average
due to the decent agreement among the models.
.LONG TERM.../Monday through Saturday as of 10 PM Friday/ Guidance
continues to suggest a deep cyclone/closed upper trough over the
Gulf of Alaska with ridging over western CONUS/Canada into the
early part of next week. This keeps an anomalous moisture fetch
which favors moderate precipitation and high winds/waves for the
Gulf and Southeast Alaska. Biggest change to the long range
forecast is that ensembles which previously indicated lower
winds/precip for the start of the week are now continuing the
trend of above normal anomalies. Operational models still have
large spread even at mid levels with timing/position/strength of
the closed lows moving in. Low confidence in details for the long
range with only confidence that weather will be mostly
warm/wet/windy. Expect forecast changes as details are worked out.
On Monday the previous days front will begin to weaken before
next low moves in to the SE Gulf. Showers over the Panhandle
become more scattered and with cold air aloft over keeping
instability in the region with slight chance of thunderstorms. The
issue that day it the incoming low. What was previously a weaker
wave/trough now may be yet another storm force low for Monday
night into Tuesday. As GFS/NAM/Canadian stated to fall in line
with this deeper low, ECMWF was still as an outlier so decided to
nudge winds/pop up more towards operational models that were more
in consensus. Since the stronger winds/higher QPF were also
picked up by NAEFS and ENS bit more confidence in this solution.
For the rest of the long range, kept with WPC ensemble solution.
Rain snow line position still mainly north of Icy Strait but left
some lower overnight lows due to potential for northerly
gradient.
&&
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...High Wind Warning from 9 AM this morning to 6 AM AKST Sunday for
AKZ027.
Strong Wind from noon AKST today through this afternoon for
AKZ024.
Strong Wind from noon AKST today through late tonight for AKZ022-
028.
High Wind Warning from noon today to 6 AM AKST Sunday for AKZ023.
Winter Storm Warning from 3 PM this afternoon to 6 PM AKST
Sunday for AKZ019.
Winter Storm Warning from 6 AM Sunday to 6 AM AKST Monday for
AKZ018.
MARINE...Storm Warning for PKZ041>043-051-052.
Gale Warning for PKZ022-031-033>036.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ021-032-053.
&&
GJS/PRB
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/Juneau1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A 59 knot wind gust was reported at the Hydaburg Seaplane Base automated weather observing system.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 2021
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: 939690.