The Morning After…

Southcentral Alaska had a bit of a “wind event” that began with escalating gusts yesterday afternoon, culminating in a storm that saw extensive wind damage to homes and businesses, felled trees, and the toppling of the huge spruce flagpole on the Delaney Park Strip in downtown Anchorage. The iconic flag pole reportedly contained a time capsule from 1961 that had been welded shut until Mother Nature had other ideas.

The earlier-than-usual storm came when trees were still full of green leaves. The top-heavy trees caught the wind, and many did not survive the gusts and were ripped up by the roots, or simply snapped at the trunk. Although winds on the upper hillside, and Turnagain Arm often exceed 60mph, and sometimes top 100mph, wind conditions are not usually quite so brutal at lower elevations and in town.

In additional weather weirdness, sporadic breaks in the clouds during the event revealed a starry sky bathed in the aurora borealis. Bursts of blue light were seen across the east side, and may have been transformers giving up the ghost. Lightning was also reported.

Massive power outages caused school closures this morning in the Anchorage School District and at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The majority of Municipal Light and Power customers were without. Chugach Electric reported an additional 25,000 homes and businesses without electricity. Traffic lights across the city were dark, and Anchorage became the home of the four-way stop.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Sean Parnell, Sharon Leighow, also confirms that nonessential state workers were ordered to stay home and state offices will not immediately open Wednesday morning. She says that could change as the day progresses.

The National Weather Service reported that wind gusts ranged from 40-50 mph to nearly 90 mph, “but that was before the Anchorage National Weather Service office lost power (along with many of you). We suspect the Glen Alps area received wind in excess of 100 mph.” The weather office in Anchorage lost all phone service at around midnight. It was still down as of 10am, local time.

A first hand report from Mudflats Central estimates gusts of about 80mph, based on personal experience, and criteria like shaking timbers, bowing windows, and the volume of the howling (wind not dog).

We are conveniently located by the pink locators containing the numbers 75 and 88 on the following map. Unbelievably power, and internet remained connected for the duration of the worst of the storm, although lights continue to flicker, and conditions are still quite breezy. The National weather service was able to provide information until their connection was severed. This is the most current information available.

For a photo collection of storm damage, check out the gallery at the Anchorage Daily News HERE.

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