According to the National Weather Service office that serves the Juneau region, a gustnado formed Monday on the leading edge of a severe thunderstorm, and the event was captured on video.
JUNEAU, Alaska – The clash of the seasons is in full effect in Alaska, where residents are not only talking about the heat but also a severe thunderstorm that helped spawn a gustnado.
According to the National Weather Service office that serves the Juneau region, a gustnado formed Monday on the leading edge of a severe thunderstorm, and the event was captured on video.
The rotating column of air appeared to briefly cross Egan Highway, a main thoroughfare that runs through the capital city.
A gustnado is a spinning air column that forms along the outflow boundary of a thunderstorm and can resemble a tornado.
Unlike traditional twisters, gustnadoes are not connected to the cloud base of the thunderstorm, but they can produce wind speeds similar to EF-0 or EF-1 tornadoes on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
“I pulled out my phone to take a photo, and this tornado-looking feature started spinning in front of us, so I took a video,” Ernesto Rosales told Storyful, a social content-gathering agency. “It turned out to be probably the biggest dust devil ever captured on video in Alaska!”
Juneau Severe Thunderstorm Warning
(FOX Weather)
WATCH: ALASKA CRUISE SHIP BLOWN AWAY FROM DOCK DURING RARE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
These events typically last from a few seconds to a few minutes as a thunderstorm develops.
Although dramatic in appearance, the Juneau gustnado did not remain on the ground long and did not appear to cause any damage, the NWS said.
The same thunderstorm that produced the gustnado generated a wind gust estimated at around 60 mph, which toppled a canopy and pulled a cruise ship away from its pier.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, severe thunderstorms are rare in Alaska due to generally limited atmospheric instability.
Alongside the storms, residents across the state have also been coping with unseasonably warm temperatures.
Parts of Alaska, including the Fairbanks region, have reported highs in the 80s, and as a result various NWS offices have issued heat advisories – a first since the policy change across the state.
Heat Advisory shown in orange on the National Weather Service map.
(NOAA)
ALASKA’S FIRST-EVER HEAT ADVISORY ISSUED AS FAIRBANKS SEES TEMPS SOAR
Afternoon highs are not record-breaking, but they are notable enough to trigger new thresholds for the alerts.
Many Alaska communities lack widespread access to air conditioning, and residents spend a significant amount of time outdoors during the summer months, leading meteorologists to hope the enhanced alerts raise awareness and encourage precautions during heat waves.
In addition to the heat and storms, smoke from wildfires burning in the state and nearby Canada have occasionally impacted the air quality and reduced visibilities.
A rare severe thunderstorm blew a Celebrity cruise ship away from the dock in Juneau, Alaska on Monday.
