Editor’s note: Conversations of Knots to Kilometres per hour added.
Gale warnings have been issued for the Yukon Coast, Dolphin Bay, Ulukhaktok Bay and Amundsen Bay and strong wind warnings are in effect as far up the Mackenzie River as Inuvik.
Environment Canada posted the bulletin for the Beaufort Sea communities at 7 a.m. Aug. 18 while strong winds blasted the entire Delta.
“Wind southeast 35 knots (64.82 kilometres per hour) diminishing to southwest 20 (37.04 km/h) near noon then increasing to southwest 30 (55.56 km/h) early this evening,” reads the bulletin. “Wind increasing to west 35 near midnight then diminishing to west 20 Friday morning. Wind diminishing to west 15 (27.78 km/h) Friday evening.”
Accompanying the heavy winds is a significant amount of rain. In most communities, between 5 millimetre and 10 mm are predicted, and Paulatuk is at risk of a thunderstorm this afternoon.
Winds on the shore aren’t any slower, with Tuktoyaktuk and Ulukhaktok forecasting wind gusts up to 70 km/h, and Sachs Harbour expecting wind gusts up to 60 km/h.
The windy conditions are expected to ebb off by the weekend.