Delta Junction hit by 58 mph gusts, near-zero visibility from blowing dust

Gusts up to 58 mph struck Delta Junction on the night of Tuesday, July 21, driving blowing dust that cut visibility to one-quarter mile or less along the Richardson Highway corridor and creating difficult driving conditions for high-profile vehicles.

The National Weather Service in Fairbanks issued a Wind Advisory for Delta Junction at 10:32 PM AKDT Tuesday, effective through 9 AM AKDT Wednesday, July 22, a window that had already closed by the time this digest was published. Forecast south winds ran 25 to 40 mph, but observed gusts had already exceeded that threshold by 10 PM Tuesday. The agency warned that unsecured objects would blow around, tree limbs could come down, and scattered power outages were possible.

NWS Fairbanks noted that a band of rain moving in Wednesday was expected to ease winds in Delta Junction itself. Winds were forecast to remain elevated south of town over Isabel Pass, a stretch of the Richardson Highway that already carried a separate advisory.

Delta Junction has seen repeated wind advisories this summer. NWS Fairbanks issued advisories for the area on July 13, July 17, and July 18, with gusts reaching 55 to 60 mph in several of those events.