Big Wind AK

The winds over the weekend were certainly a nuisance. They made for sensitive wind slabs with whomphing and shooting cracks. Fortunately we managed the terrain well. Since the weekend the winds have picked up dramatically with insane gusts recorded at local weather stations. The winds have finally died down, but I expect people to find an entire new level of wind hammered.

Thompson Pass recorded a wind gust of 152 mph on November 16th at 1:21 AM. This weather station is on the road (not a ridge) and is 26 miles out of Valdez at 2,800'.
DOT Data

Not to be outdone, the Site Summit weather station above Arctic Valley just north of Anchorage had some impressive gusts of their own. This station sits on a ridge/mini summit at 3,924'.

• November 15 2:53PM Wind Speed: 109 mph Max gust: 157 mph


• November 15 10:53 PM Wind Speed: 108 mph Max gust: 153 mph


• November 15 11:53 PM Wind Speed: 103 mph Max gust: 188 mph!!

Soon after the 11:53 PM reading the weather station ceased data transmission. Link

Other max gusts from around South Central Alaska:

• Independence Mine, 3,450', Hatcher Pass, Max gust of 41 mph on 11/16 at 4:00 PM


• Fresno Ridge, 3,440', Summit Lake Area, Max gust of 24 mph on 11/16 at 7:00 PM


• Seattle Ridge, 2,400', Turnagain Pass Area, Max gust of 57 on 11/16 at 6:00 PM

Data from CNFAIC.

Have fun out there!!

- U.K.