Metlakatla station records 87 mph gust before Thursday high wind warning

A high wind warning covers Annette Island, Ketchikan Gateway Borough and Prince of Wales Island from 9 am to 6 pm Thursday, the National Weather Service in Juneau says. Annette Island could see gusts up to 65 mph, and up to 75 mph above 500 feet. Ketchikan Gateway Borough could see gusts up to 60 mph. The forecast for Prince of Wales Island calls for southeast winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph.

The Weather Service says the wind could damage property, cause power outages and make travel difficult. It advises people to secure loose objects and vessels.

The warning follows an 87 mph gust recorded at 7:25 am Wednesday at a station 2 miles east of Metlakatla, according to a preliminary storm report from the Juneau office. A station 2 miles south of town recorded 71 mph at noon. Two miles southeast of Ketchikan, a station measured 51 mph.

On the water, a storm warning for Clarence Strait runs from noon to 6 pm Thursday. It calls for southeast winds of 40 to 50 knots, gusts up to 70 knots, about 80 mph, and seas of 15 to 20 feet. It tells mariners to remain in port, alter course or secure their vessels.

Annette Island and Ketchikan Gateway Borough were under a high wind warning in mid-October, with the same 75 mph forecast above 500 feet. During that storm, trees in power lines cut Metlakatla's power from around 8 am to around 4 pm Oct. 15, a Weather Service storm report says.

Farther north, a wind advisory covers Juneau, Sitka, Wrangell, Petersburg Borough and Western Kupreanof and Kuiu islands during the same Thursday hours, with gusts up to 45 mph. On Oct. 20, falling trees cut power to most of Juneau as gusts ran well past the 50 mph that advisories had called for, Alaska News reported.

The Weather Service asks residents to report damage through its Juneau storm report page.