Skagway stays under wind advisory until 3 am Sunday as gusts return to 40 mph

The National Weather Service in Juneau kept Skagway under a wind advisory Saturday, warning of northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph until 3 am Sunday.

Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects, bring down tree limbs and cause a few power outages, forecasters said. "Winds this strong can make travel difficult," the advisory said, urging extra caution.

The Saturday afternoon advisory, issued at 12:55 pm, said winds would diminish before turning northerly and climbing back to gusts of 40 mph by late Saturday afternoon. In its forecast discussion, the Juneau office said Skagway's winds could come in lower than forecast because there is no cold air in Canada to spill through the mountain passes.

The Juneau office first issued the advisory Thursday evening, for southwest winds from 6 am Friday to 6 am Saturday. Early Friday it raised the forecast to gusts up to 50 mph, then lowered it back to 40 mph later that morning. Friday night it extended the advisory to 3 am Sunday as forecasters expected the winds to shift to the north. Saturday afternoon's notice was the 10th version since Thursday.

Skagway has drawn repeated wind advisories this fall, including one in early October with gusts to 45 mph.

Forecasters expect the active fall weather pattern to continue through at least next Saturday. A front approaching the southern panhandle is not expected to reach farther north than the central panhandle. Forecasters expect a near storm-force low in the Gulf of Alaska on Monday, bringing rain and possibly high winds, with seas in the gulf expected to reach 30 to 35 feet.