Alaska
Howling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
PALMER — High winds knocked out power for thousands in Mat-Su on Saturday morning with gusts forecast up to 80 mph in places before the weekend ends.
As of 9 a.m., there were nearly 17,000 members without power, according to Matanuska Electric Association. Major outages included Knik-Goose Bay and Fairview Loop roads. Another large outage knocked out more than 2,000 members from Palmer to Hatcher Pass.
There were reports of trees down on some side roads and damaged railroad crossing gates, as well as at least one small brush fire sparked by a downed power line.
By 10 a.m., the Palmer Airport had recorded a gust of 84 mph while the Wasilla Airport and the Glenn Highway near the Parks Highway had seen gusts of between 70 and 74 mph, according to weather station observations.
A high wind warning from the National Weather Service is in place until 11 p.m. Sunday for the Matanuska Valley including Wasilla, Sutton, Big Lake, Chickaloon and Palmer. The warning calls for northeast winds of 30 to 40 mph with possible gusts up to 80 mph. Wind chill could drop to between minus 10 and minus 20 degrees by Sunday evening, the agency said.
Power outages began early Saturday morning.
“We have multiple crews out in the field and are calling in more as they become available. Winds are not expected to die down today and will last into at least tomorrow evening,” Matanuska Electric Association said in a Facebook post, encouraging people to avoid downed power lines. “Please stay safe – there is a lot of debris scattered outside.”
Wasilla police warned that numerous traffic signals were dark Saturday morning due to power outages. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough announced the central landfill near Palmer is closed Saturday due to high winds.Palmer airport officials on Friday urged pilots to secure all aircraft.
A high wind advisory for the Anchorage area and the northwest Kenai Peninsula — including Nikiski, Kenai, Soldotna and Sterling — remains in effect until 11 p.m. Sunday. Forecasters expected north winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 50, and wind chill dropping to between minus 5 and minus 15 by Sunday night. Knik Arm, West Anchorage and areas along the coast of northern Cook Inlet were likely to experience the strongest winds, according to the advisory.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Junior Jayden Miranda on Friday became the latest player from West Valley High School to be named Gatorade Alaska Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
“It feels good and it was definitely one of the goals that I had to check off my checklist,” he said. “I woke up, and I didn’t know. My coach told me, and it was just excitement in my heart. My heart was beating and I was just smiling.”
Miranda led the Wolfpack boys basketball team to a Mid Alaska Conference championship and the No. 1 seed at the 2026 ASAA 4A state tournament.
The 5-foot-11 guard also helped lead West Valley to a 22-4 record, and through 23 games, he averaged 14.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists as well as shooting 51.8% from the floor and 39.7% from the perimeter.
“Miranda is a great kid on and off the court — gets good grades and never gets in trouble,” North Pole head coach Travis Church said in a statement. “Looking around 4A, I don’t see anyone who would measure up. He’s the best player on the best team in the state. It’s hard for me to imagine going with anyone else.”
Miranda is the second player from the program to receive the award. The first was two-time recipient Stewart Erhart, who was honored in back-to-back years from 2022-23.
The award acknowledges a student-athlete’s athletic achievement, and also recognizes outstanding academic excellence and exceptional character displayed on and off the court.
Miranda maintained a 3.36 GPA and volunteered locally with the Fairbanks Community Food Bank, donated time as a youth basketball coach and is a practiced artist who has also taken multiple cooking classes in high school.
He and the top-seeded Wolfpack fell short of advancing to the finals Friday after losing 59-52 to fifth-seeded South Anchorage.
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