Ketchikan wind advisory cancelled early as airport gusts stayed below forecast

The National Weather Service cancelled a wind advisory for Ketchikan Gateway Borough and Annette Island at 9:41 p.m. Sunday, about three hours before it was set to end at 1 a.m. Monday. Forecasters had warned of gusts up to 50 mph. The strongest gust recorded at Ketchikan International Airport during the advisory was about 36 mph, at 9:27 p.m.

The Weather Service office in Juneau issued its last forecast update at 6:43 p.m. Sunday. It called for south winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. The advisory had taken effect at 11 a.m. Sunday with a forecast of gusts to 45 mph.

The agency warned that the wind would blow around unsecured objects. It said tree limbs could come down and a few power outages could result, and that travel could be difficult. Nothing reviewed shows whether any of that happened.

At 3:53 p.m. Sunday, the airport recorded southeast winds of 20 mph with gusts to 31 mph. The airport is one measuring point, not the whole borough or Annette Island.

On the water, a Small Craft Advisory covered Clarence Strait through late Sunday night. The coastal waters forecast called for south winds of 30 knots there. Gusts could reach 35 knots, with seas of 10 feet.