A massive blizzard with hurricane-force winds slammed into the west coast of Alaska on Wednesday. It was called a “life-threatening epic storm,” by the National Weather Service.
“A powerful and extremely dangerous storm of near-record magnitude is now impacting western Alaska. Impacts will spread northwest and continue through Thursday,” the Service stated on Wednesday.
Both a coastal flood warning and a blizzard warning were issued for communities along the northwest and west coasts of Alaska.
In the community of Nome on the Seward Peninsula, an 8-foot coastal surge as well as winds reaching 70 mph were recorded. The temperature is around 13 degrees Fahrenheit.
“It’s still really nasty. It’s not over yet. There’s a lot of time remaining for more flooding and damage to occur,” Bob Fischer of the National Weather Service told the Alaska Dispatch on Wednesday morning.
Fischer added that the winds will likely weaken through the day to 35–40 miles per hour.
