Winds easing over Atka and Adak Saturday after four high wind warnings

Gusts of 60 to 70 mph were forecast to blow across Atka and Adak into Saturday morning before easing by late Saturday morning, the National Weather Service in Anchorage said in its latest warning for the two Aleutian communities. That warning remained in effect until 9 p.m. AKDT Friday, even as forecasters expected the strongest winds to keep blowing overnight and into Saturday morning.

It was the fourth warning the Anchorage forecast office issued for the zone in roughly 24 hours. The two issued Thursday, at 11:08 a.m. and 10:39 p.m., both called for west winds of 45 to 65 mph with gusts to 80 mph, with the strongest winds from about noon to 3 p.m. that day. The two issued Friday, at 2:47 a.m. and 2:35 p.m., lowered the forecast to west winds of 45 to 60 mph with gusts to 75 mph.

Forecasters attributed the winds to a deep low-pressure system in the southern Bering Sea. The earlier warnings described a lull Thursday night followed by a reinvigoration of west winds Friday afternoon. Residents faced more than one round of high wind, not a single push.

NWS listed the same hazards each time: property damage, loose debris, power outages and difficult travel. "People are urged to secure loose objects that could be blown around or damaged by the wind," the Anchorage office said. Forecasters advised residents to prepare for widespread power outages and to use caution if they must drive.

Strong wind is routine on the islands. The City of Adak's environmental setting page states that average wind velocity is 15 knots, "with gusts over 100 knots during winter storms."

Alaska News previously covered the first of this week's warnings, which carried gusts to 80 mph alongside a marine storm warning for seas of 22 to 33 feet.

The National Weather Service continues to post updates for the Atka and Adak forecast zone at weather.gov/afc.