Damaging Winds in Alaska, June 16, 2025

Name: Damaging Winds in Alaska, June 16, 2025
Start: 2025-06-16T14:00
End: 2025-06-16T16:42
Location: Alaska

June 16, 2025 · NWS AJK · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

On the afternoon of Monday, June 16th, 2025, a fast-moving squall line of thunderstorms tracked northward across the central and northern Panhandle, resulting in damaging wind gusts and localized impacts, particularly in the Juneau area. Analysis indicates that the primary storm structure was a squall line.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
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Wind
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Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $8,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS AJK wrote it up.

Analysis indicates that the primary storm structure was a squall line. The squall line stretched across the panhandle and the Inside Passage east to west, beginning sub-severe in the vicinity of Wrangell around noon, reaching severe criteria as it tracked up Stephen's Passage, then continued northward, reaching Skagway shortly after 5pm.

As the squall line reached the City and Borough of Juneau just after 3pm, a sudden onset of high winds of 50+ mph led to multiple damage reports across the area. The most significant incident occurred at the AJ Dock, where mooring lines securing a cruise ship snapped, causing the vessel to drift from the dock. Additional impacts across Juneau included broken tree limbs, shattered vehicle windshields, and temporary power outages.

Near the Juneau International Airport, a gustnado was also observed crossing Egan Drive and the airport parking lot. After reviewing satellite imagery, eyewitness reports, and surface observations, the NWS has confirmed the occurrence of a gustnado in the vicinity of the airport and is categorized as a thunderstorm wind event event within the severe squall line.

What forecasters said that day

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 Jun 16, 11:12 AM AKST, 2 hours 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 16, 11:12 AM AKST, 2 hours 48 minutes before

Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
1212 PM AKDT Mon Jun 16 2025

&&

.UPDATE...Mainly for Aviation and short term. Thunderstorm
development southern part of panhandle with a lobe of vorticity
moving into the south central panhandle this afternoon to early
evening hours.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED AT 644 AM Mon Jun 16 ...

.SHORT TERM...A closed upper level low is currently sitting west
of Haida Gwaii and will be moving northwest along the coast of the
panhandle through Monday. The associated deeper trough tipped
negatively overnight, which sent a 1000 mb surface low following
up the coast of the panhandle. Currently, this low is off the
western coast of PoW Island, and the attached gale force front is
bringing increased winds and rain to the southern panhandle. Wind
speeds along the coast will be enhanced by higher pressure along
the coast mountains, increasing wind speeds to near gale or gale
force. Additionally, the cooler air associated with the occluded
front will descend to the surface, resulting in a strong, gusty
jet with wind gusts as high as 45 knots. Therefore, gulf wind
speeds have been raised to gale force (34-40 kts) through the day,
with severe gale force wind gusts possible. Coastal communities
may see land wind gusts up to 30 mph, with strongest speeds
expected between 10 am Monday morning to 5 pm Monday evening. A
band of precipitation is moving north over the panhandle, bringing
light to moderate rain rates for up to 6 hours before
transitioning to possible scattered showers behind the front.
Conditions are set to gradually improve through Monday, with
precipitation looking to lighten up for the southern panhandle as
it reaches the northern panhandle through the morning.
Precipitation should finish for the northern panhandle through the
afternoon with only minimal accumulations expected.

.LONG TERM.../Tuesday into next weekend/...
Rain continues for primarily the southern portion of the
panhandle Tuesday before showers move up across the rest of the
panhandle Wednesday into Thursday. These easterly showers are
associated with waves moving around a weak low to the southwest in
the Gulf around 140W. These showers will begin to decrease into
Thursday night as a surface ridge begins to approach the
panhandle, pushing the weakening low to the southeast. This ridge,
accompanied by an upper level ridge building over the Gulf on
Friday, will help to bring drier weather, clearer skies, and some
higher temperatures into this weekend. Models showing 850mb
temperatures of between 10 and 12 degrees C moving into the area
alongside this ridge, which will bring us some warm air advection
that will also aid in bringing temperatures up. This warm air
advection alongside the surface ridging will bring some areas of
the panhandle to over 70 degrees for their highs this weekend,
with the highest temperatures looking to be Saturday afternoon.

Winds are expected to stay light in the majority of the panhandle
midweek, with the exception of winds moving into Clarence Strait
remaining elevated into Wednesday as the low to the southwest
continues to bring southerly winds. Winds look to stay on the
lighter side over the region for late in the week into the
weekend. However, the pressure gradient in the northern panhandle
may tighten as the ridge begins to move in while a low remains
over Canada to the northeast, which may bring some elevated winds
to Lynn Canal on Thursday.

&&

.AVIATION...

Predominate VFR flight conditions across the panhandle this
morning with CIGs AoA 4000ft.

Through the rest of the day, anticipating general MVFR to VFR
flight conditions to prevail with CIGS AoB 5000ft and reduced
visbys 3 to 5 SM through the afternoon within heavier precip as a
front pushes into the southern panhandle and overspreads the
area. Main aviation concern through the afternoon will be
increasing LLWS up to 30kts near 2000ft for the southern and
coastal TAF sites, particular Ketchikan, Klawock, and Sitka,
through early Monday morning, decreasing through 00z. Winds for
the southern panhandle TAF sites will increase through the morning
and into the afternoon, with strongest overland winds around
15kts sustained with gusts up to 25kts likely. For the northern
panhandle, expecting slightly less wind, around 10 to 15kts kts,
but can't rule out an isolated gust this afternoon up to 25kts as
front pushes through.

Gradual improvement to predominate VFR flight conditions 06z this
evening as front exits the panhandle.

&&

.MARINE...

Outside Waters: Wind speeds have been raised in the eastern gulf
to gale force (34-40 kts) through the day, with severe gale force
wind gusts expected in the eastern gulf off the coast of Prince of
Wales and Baranof Islands. Widespread fresh to strong breezes
(17-27 knots) will persist along the coast through midnight. Wave
heights do not look to exceed 11 ft due to lack of sufficient
fetch length and time for more developed seas. Small craft
advisories follow the front offshore up the coast through the day,
with gale warnings persisting through Monday evening.

Inside waters: Strong breezes coming in from Dixon Entrance will
move up Clarence Strait and into Sumner Strait. As the low
continues to move northward near Sitka, inner channel winds will
increase slightly with some areas reaching sustained moderate
breezes. Winds in the central & northern panhandle will switch
southerly as the low tracks further north. Coastal entrances such
as Southern Chatham Strait, Clarence Strait, and Cross Sound may
see fresh to strong sustained breezes with near gale force gusts
when the front passes over through Monday afternoon. These may
also be associated with elevated wave heights of up to 7 ft. There
is a small craft advisory in Chatham Strait that persists through
Monday afternoon.

&&

.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...None.
MARINE...Gale Warning for PKZ661>663.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ036-641>644-664-671-672.

&&

SHORT TERM...ZTK
LONG TERM....Contino
AVIATION...NM   UPDATE Bezenek
MARINE...ZTK

Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/Juneau

The radar

The Sitka radar (PACG), 173 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Juneau Borough

When: June 16, 2:00 PM AKST to 2:50 PM AKST
Where: Juneau Borough County, 1.13 mi N of Douglas to 10.32 mi NW of Mendenhall Valley
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 58.286, -134.393

A sudden wind shift to the south from a strengthening squall line measured a peak gust of 73mph at the top of the Mt. Roberts Tram at 304pm and a peak gust of 60mph at the top of the Federal Building at 310pm AKDT. The NOS Juneau Tide Gauge at the USCG dock measured a peak gust of 47mph at 306pm AKDT and the Juneau Airport center runway measured a peak gust of 47mph at 321pm.

When the squall line reached the Port of Juneau shortly after 3pm, a cruise ship at the AJ Dock was pushed away from the shore causing the lines to snap and the ship to drift well out into Gastineau Channel. The public reported loose debris picked up by the wind shattered a windshield in Douglas and several reported quarter inch hail or smaller between 3 to 330pm AKDT. The public reported a truck canopy along the road in the Twin Lakes area and another report of trees down in the Lemon Creek area, including a photo of a large pine tree trunk snapped, both around 340pm. Two video accounts showed a gustnado spun up and crossed over Egan Drive and the Airport parking lot. No damage was noted from the gustnado. At approximately 350pm AKDT a report from out the road noted a burst of strong wind followed by small hail for about 10 minutes.

Not including the snapped mooring lines, repair costs at the dock were estimated at $8,200 and the dock was able to be used again that same day.

Thunderstorm Wind, Taiya Inlet

When: June 16, 4:14 PM AKST to 4:42 PM AKST
Where: Taiya Inlet County, 0.97 mi SW of Skagway to 0.28 mi N of Skagway
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 59.450, -135.330

A sudden wind shift to the south from a squall line measured a peak gust of 59mph at the Skagway Airport at 515pm and a peak gust of 52mph at the same time at the Skagway Harbor. Some missing data that was automatically QC'd out from the Marine Exchange station was later recovered.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2025 Every state in 2025 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, June 2025

Sources

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: 1280627, 1280631.