Strong winds hit Southcentral Alaska, lead to power outages

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The calendar says July, but a fall-like storm is hitting Southcentral Alaska with rain and breezy winds in town and more damaging winds on the Hillside and through Turnagain Arm.

The wind picked up Sunday evening as a front pushed in from the west. As of early Monday afternoon, wind gusts have climbed over 60 mph on the Anchorage Hillside — including a peak gust of 66 mph recorded above Golden View Drive, at about 1,000 feet — and between 20 and 45 mph in town.

As this storm moves east through the day, continued breezy winds out of the southeast can be expected to gust to 45 mph in town and between 45 and 65 mph for the Anchorage Hillside and Turnagain Arm.

Chugach Electric Association reported just over 2,800 people were without power at 11 a.m., a number that grew to just over 4,000 around noon, according to a power outage map provided by the company. In a post on the company’s social media pages, Chugach Electric said crews removed trees on a line and power was restored just before 1 p.m.

While the main impacts of this storm in Anchorage will be wind and mild temperatures, this storm is also delivering wet weather to Prince William Sound and Southeast Alaska as it taps into tropical moisture, extending all the way to the central Pacific. Stay with Alaska’s Weather Source for the latest weather forecast.

Copyright 2022 KTUU. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2022 KTUU. All rights reserved.