Howling winds are expected to hit Southcentral Alaska Tuesday night as a fast-moving storm developing in the Gulf of Alaska blows through.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued a high wind warning for the Anchorage Hillside and Turnagain Arm that will be in effect from 10 p.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday.
The weather service is urging people to secure loose outdoor items and to watch out for falling branches and trees.
Higher elevations and Turnagain Arm can expect gusts of up to 80 mph and sustained winds of 30 to 50 mph, said meteorologist Eddie Zingone. The Lower Hillside will see gusts up to 60 mph and elsewhere in the Anchorage Bowl gusts will blow at up to 45 mph, according to the weather service.
High wind warning for the Anchorage area tonight - tomorrow AM. Some places expecting 80 mph winds! #Anchorage #AKwx pic.twitter.com/E3Z1V5wLHj
— NWS Anchorage (@NWSAnchorage) September 5, 2017
The storm also will bring about a half-inch of rain, forecasters said.
Early fall storms tend to catch people off guard, Zingone said.
"We're still in summer mode here," he said. "We've got a lot of things left in our yards, whether it is lawn furniture or in the garden, things that are stored or under the snow in the wintertime that can be blown around or be damaged themselves as they hit something."
With leaves still on trees, branches can catch the wind and snap, he said, bringing a danger of downed power lines.
The storm is expected to move through quickly. A gale warning is in effect for Tuesday night in the northern Gulf of Alaska, including Cook Inlet and around Kodiak Island.
By noon Wednesday, the storm should be up to Norton Sound.
"It's not wasting any time going up," he said.