Wind advisory warns of 55 mph gusts on the Richardson Highway Sunday and Monday

Drivers on the Richardson Highway between mileposts 224 and 259 will face gusts up to 55 mph from 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, to 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, under a wind advisory the National Weather Service in Fairbanks issued Friday afternoon.

South winds of 25 to 35 mph are expected through the advisory period. The strongest gusts arrive Sunday night into Monday.

The advisory covers the Eastern Alaska Range north of Trims Camp, including Black Rapids and Donnelly Dome, ground used by hunters and backcountry travelers through late summer.

NWS Fairbanks said gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects, that tree limbs could come down and that a few power outages may result. "Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution," the advisory said.

This zone has drawn repeated wind alerts this summer. NWS Fairbanks issued a wind advisory for the same area July 10 and 11 with gusts to 50 mph, then a high wind warning, the more serious of the two alerts, effective Aug. 3 through Aug. 5 forecasting south winds of 30 to 50 mph and gusts to 70 mph.