Huge storm pummels Alaska

[phantom power]

So it's anywhere from a 1-in-10 year event to a 1-in-who-even-knows-but-more-than-4800 year event.

A massive low pressure system with a central pressure of 970 mb swept through Alaska on Tuesday, generating hurricane-force wind gusts near Anchorage, Alaska that knocked out power to 55,000 homes. Mighty Alaskan storms like this are common in winter, but rare in summer and early fall. The National Weather Service in Anchorage said in their Wednesday forecast discussion that the forecast wind speeds from this storm were incredibly strong for this time of year--four to six standard anomalies above normal. A four-standard anomaly event occurs once every 43 years, and a five-standard anomaly event is a 1-in-4800 year event. However, a meteorologist I heard from who lives in the Anchorage area characterized the wind damage that actually occurred as a 1-in-10 year event. A few maximum wind gusts recorded on Tuesday during the storm:

McHugh Creek (Turnagain Arm)... ... ..88 mph
Paradise Valley (Potter Marsh)... ... 75 mph
Upper Hillside (1400 ft)... ... ... ... 70 mph
Anchorage port... ... ... ... ... ... ... .63 mph

The storm has weakened to a central pressure of 988 mb today, and is located just north of Alaska. The storm is predicted to bring strong winds of 25 - 35 mph and large waves to the edge of the record-thin and record-small Arctic ice cap, and may add to the unprecedented decline in Arctic sea ice being observed this summer.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2222

[NMDemDist2]

1. the North Pole is covered with a cyclone

geez

no climate change here folks, nothing to see, just move along.....

[Junkdrawer]

2. Isn't that a picture of the August storm?

[NMDemDist2]

3. i think it's the same storm

it's weakened somewhat, but still chugging

[Junkdrawer]

5. I checked the link in the OP....

The storm in the picture is from the August 5-10 storm.

[phantom power]

4. Yes, so it is! I'm going to remove that pic

[roguevalley]

6. I drove to Anchorage today and it was really windy

trees and stuff were down all over.