Dec. 5 was the windiest day in Bethel in six years. The Bethel Airport weather station recorded wind speeds of 70 mph. The last time it was that windy was in Dec. 2015. That’s according to Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The wind grounded all jets headed into or out of Bethel.
Climate models project that wind speeds will increase across the Y-K Delta as the earth’s climate continues to warm.