An unseasonable windstorm hit Anchorage, Alaska on September 4th and 5th, causing significant damage to deciduous trees, particularly birch, poplar, and ornamental trees. The winds came from the Chugach Mountains and caused damage unlike anything seen in over 50 years. Clearing the windfall will be expensive and time-consuming, and some areas will be impassable until the trees are cleared. At least 50,000 homes and businesses lost power overnight.

Observation: The windstorm that struck Anchorage on the night of Tuesday September 4th and morning of Wednesday September 5th caused a lot of damage to the deciduous trees, especially the birch, poplar and introduced ornamental that are now common across Anchorage. The winds came east out of the Chugach Mountains and caused damage unlike anything we have seen in over 50 years. It is going to be expensive and time consuming to clear the windfall. This little wood near Cheney Lake will be impassable for either people or moose until the trees are cleared. The roots take hold in sand and gravel from the old gravel pit used to build the Minnesota Bypass. This might have contributed to the domino like result on the trees that have grown up here since the early 70s. But the wind apparently funneled through this area with devastating force.

Media:

Alaska Dispatch News – Unseasonable windstorm ravages Anchorage, "Neighborhoods hummed with the sound of chain saws Wednesday as residents cleared thousands of trees felled by a powerful, unseasonable windstorm that pummeled Anchorage. At least 50,000 homes and businesses lost power overnight." Author: Julia O'Malley, Kyle Hopkins