Mother Nature is triggering power outages across Fairbanks. Golden Valley Electric Association saw multiple areas west of Fairbanks robbed of power Monday.
Early Monday a Chinook wind drove temperatures up around Fairbanks. GVEA’s Corrine Bradish says warmer conditions triggered a series of small outages.
“The warm temperature warming up the snow that might be on trees and powerlines — it’s just offloading. And sometimes that causes outages.”
Bradish says three crews worked to clear trees and restore power. But she says the utility is also braced for more outages as record high winds are expected to continue in the next few days. Bradish says GVEA’s call center is prepared to field expected reports.
“That way we can send the appropriate equipment and crews down to where the outages are and make repairs if needed.”
GVEA will post information on causes and responses at its Facebook page. Bradish urges people to review information on its website on preparing for outages.