Loading Passage Canal: When Does the Wind Ease?…
The hour-by-hour wind on Passage Canal, banded on the Beaufort scale, so you can see when it eases enough to be out in a small boat off Whittier — today and tomorrow.
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Passage Canal funnels the wind.
The wind eases all day.
gusts 20 mph (Beaufort 5 · Fresh breeze), sustained 7 mph.
As of August 23 at 5:49 PM. These are modelled winds for the area, not a reading on the water — the channel funnels the wind harder mid-channel than it feels at the docks.
| Day | Wind eases | Peak gusts |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, August 24 | all day | 19 mph · Breezy |
Each hour is banded on the published Beaufort wind scale, read off the gusts — gusts are what build the chop and make a small boat hard to handle. Light: gusts under 13 mph (Beaufort 0–3). Breezy: 13–24 (4–5). Strong wind: 25–38 (6–7, whitecaps and spray). Gale: 39–54 (8–9, dangerous for small craft). Violent: 55 mph and up (10+). An easy window means daytime hours where gusts stay under about 24 mph. No thresholds on this page are ours.
A “strong wind” hour or worse means whitecaps and building chop, and the blow runs hardest east–west down the middle of the canal, not at the docks. Wait for an easy window, keep near shore, and tell someone ashore your plan and when you’ll be back.
Call the Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16 (Sector Western Alaska, 866-396-1361). The Whittier harbor office monitors VHF 16 and 68 and answers on 907-472-2327. A marine VHF radio or a NOAA weather radio (KXI29, 162.475 MHz) carries the same forecast and any Small Craft Advisory when you’re away from a phone.
Alaska DOT&PF’s marine summary for Whittier puts the mean hourly wind at 10–15 mph, but winds are commonly 40–60 mph in the area, strongest blowing east and west along the axis of Passage Canal, and can build waves of 4–6 feet in the centre of the canal.
Alaska DOT&PF — Whittier Tunnel weather, 2026-07-05
When the wind or seas cross the threshold, the National Weather Service flags a Small Craft Advisory in the Passage Canal zone forecast (PKZ723). This page only bands the modelled wind on the Beaufort scale so you can see the shape of the day; the advisory in the official forecast is the line to respect.
NWS — Passage Canal marine forecast (PKZ723), 2026-07-05
Fetched August 23 at 5:49 PM. These are modelled winds for the area, not a reading on the water — the channel funnels the wind harder mid-channel than it feels at the docks. Open-Meteo — Wind data by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0). Bands from the Beaufort wind scale.
Wind eases all day
Gusts now about 6 mph · Light