Alaska News

High winds buffet Southcentral Alaska, move into Interior

High winds swept through Alaska on Monday, overturning tractor-trailers and closing the only road access to the Prince William Sound community of Whittier.

The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which provides access to Whittier via Portage Glacier Road, was closed between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. due to "extremely high wind conditions" up to 91 mph, Department of Transportation officials said.

As the first of two major wind events passed through, a semitrailer was blown off Portage Glacier Road by the winds. It was one of two vehicles overturned by high winds, Alaska State Troopers said.

"One tipped by the tunnel and the other was near the lake. Both the drivers appear to be OK," Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said.

In affected parts of Anchorage, including the Hillside, top wind speeds reached 75 to 80 mph before subsiding Monday afternoon. Areas along Prince William Sound had winds from 35 to 55 mph, with gusts up to 75 mph.

The Monday weather system was the first of two expected to produce high winds in Alaska, with a stronger one expected overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, said Rebecca Duell, a forecaster at the National Weather Service's Anchorage office.

"It's looking like it has the potential to affect the city of Anchorage more, the Anchorage Bowl, with stronger winds," Duell said.

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Duell said the system is part of a shift in the Pacific weather pattern that will bring more turbulent conditions compared to Southcentral Alaska's recent calm, cold weather

"We're undergoing a pattern change where there's actually a ridge of high pressure that builds over the western U.S. and the eastern Pacific Ocean," Duell said. "There is a new storm track that takes a lot of these storms north from the Pacific Ocean."

The storms headed north with the new pattern will bring even higher temperatures along with the winds, with Anchorage set to hit 40 degrees by Wednesday. Duell said the weather service had already received reports of temperatures in the 40s from the Mat-Su area Monday.

"It's pretty likely that we're going to stay in a warm, kind of rainy pattern for the next week or two," Duell said. "It's not looking favorable for any snow in Anchorage for the near future, for sure."

Meanwhile, in Interior Alaska, some 1,200 Fairbanks-area residents lost power for about two hours as snow-laden trees fell onto power lines Monday morning, according to the Golden Valley Electric Association. Rising temperatures prompted a travel advisory for icy roads Monday evening. Temperatures were expected to climb into the 30s by Wednesday.

Stronger winds are expected to reach the Interior with the second weather system overnight Tuesday, with forecasters warning of possible record winds strong enough to cause structural damage in the Delta Junction area.

"Maximum gusts of around 100 mph are expected in areas along the Richardson Highway in the eastern Alaska Range and in areas near the Alaska Range in the lower Kuskokwim Valley," forecasters said. "Wind gusts to 80 mph are expected in areas near Delta Junction and in wind-prone areas of the Railbelt in Denali."

According to the weather service, the winds overnight Tuesday could also affect drivers on the Richardson and Parks Highways "in and near the Alaska Range."

Chris Klint

Chris Klint is a former ADN reporter who covered breaking news.

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