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

Gusts up to 58 mph tore through Delta Junction on Tuesday night, kicking up dust that cut visibility along the Richardson Highway to a quarter mile or less and made for hard driving in high-profile vehicles.

The National Weather Service in Fairbanks put a wind advisory in effect from late Tuesday through 9 a.m. Wednesday, warning of flying debris, downed limbs, and scattered power outages. Rain moving in Wednesday was expected to calm the wind in town, though it stayed strong to the south over Isabel Pass, which carried its own advisory.

It was the fourth such warning for the area this month. The Weather Service issued Delta Junction wind advisories on July 13, 17, and 18, with gusts hitting 55 to 60 mph in several of them.