ALASKA -- The western coast of Alaska was pummeled by an historic storm this week. Hurricane-force winds, huge waves and storm surge, and snow affected the area through late Wednesday.
Just how powerful were the winds from this colossal storm? Wales, Alaska reported a wind gust of 89 miles per hour! The strong winds were not isolated – other reported winds along Alaska’s coast include Tin City with 85 miles per hour, Savoonga at 76 miles an hour, and Cape Lisburne with a 75-mile-per-hour wind.
The storm strengthened as it moved through Alaska and the Bering Sea and actually produced winds of 75 miles per hour or greater over an area the size of Colorado. The wind caused waves of 15 to 25 feet in height to crash along the Alaskan shoreline. This is to say nothing of the storm’s snow, blowing snow, and cold temperatures that Alaskans are already used to!
The entire storm was about 1500 miles wide and had a barometric pressure reading comparable to that of Hurricane Irene!
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