High winds recorded in some parts of Anchorage with conditions expected to calm Saturday evening

A high wind warning issued for the Anchorage Hillside, Turnagain Arm and higher elevations will remain in place until 1 a.m. Sunday, with wind gusts around 70 mph or stronger recorded in some areas by Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Winds of 40 mph to 50 mph were expected for the Hillside, Turnagain Arm and higher elevations from Indian up to Eklutna, with gusts up to 70 mph likely, according to the National Weather Service. Winds that peaked around midday were set to diminish Saturday evening, the weather service said.

By about 1 p.m., 73 to 75 mph gusts had been recorded at Arctic Valley Ski Area and upper Potter Valley, with gusts of 54 to 57 mph recorded on the Upper Hillside and at Glen Alps, according to observations listed on the weather service website.

In its high wind warning, the National Weather Service said some parts of the Hillside with “channeled terrain” could see localized gusts up to 80 mph.

The Alaska Zoo, on the Anchorage Hillside, wrote in a social media post Saturday that it closed early due to high winds and downed trees as a safety precaution.

Chugach Electric Association reported just before 9 a.m. that 100 people had lost power in South Anchorage around Huffman and Wilderness roads due to a tree that fell on a line, according to an automated message on the company’s outage reporting phone line.

The company was reporting multiple outages caused by high winds throughout the Anchorage area by midday Saturday, and an outage affecting more than 160 people in the Indian and Bird Creek area.

“We are calling additional personnel and we’ll restore power as quickly as possible to these areas,” the company’s automated message said.

Wind gusts up to 40 mph were expected for lower elevations in the Anchorage Bowl.

The weather service suggested that people in areas affected by the windstorm stay in the lower levels of their residence and avoid windows, and avoid “being outside in forested areas.”

Drivers, especially those in taller vehicles, should use caution as travel could become difficult, according to the weather service’s warning.