Thousands of people in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough were still without power Monday after strong winds tore through the region over the weekend.
National Weather Service meteorologist Carson Jones said the hurricane-force gusts were caused by a clash of weather systems — a cool high pressure system over the Copper River Basin meeting a warmer low pressure system from the Gulf of Alaska.
“Essentially it creates kind of this siphon effect, where the really cold, dense air in the Copper River Basin is funneled and channeled down the mountainous valley, and it accelerates in what’s called a catamatic wind, and it just it sits there until the pattern changes and gusts,” Jones said. “We are seeing anywhere from 40 to 100 miles an hour throughout the valley over the weekend and even this morning as well.”…