High Wind in Anchorage, Alaska

Strong wind gusts were observed late on August 10 through the early morning hours of August 11 on the Anchorage Hillside. A trained spotter reported that a private weather station in Bear Valley recorded a peak wind gust of 76 knots (87 mph) around 4 am on August 11. At least 3000 Chugach Electric customers were without power on the evening of August 10 as a result of the wind event. Winds diminished quickly thereafter as the occluded front pushed east of the Chugach Front Range.

A strong low pressure system tracking into Southwest Alaska on the evening of August 10 led to the development of a strong pressure gradient along the coast of the eastern Kenai Peninsula, which drove southeasterly winds through gaps and produced downslope winds in south and east Anchorage. Winds weakened quickly at lower elevations with the development of a triple point low near the southern end of Cook Inlet around midnight, though winds remained stronger and gustier on the Anchorage Hillside for several hours thereafter. This early season event led to power outages in the Anchorage area late on August 10 and high wind gusts on the Hillside through the early morning hours of August 11.