Huge Lightning Strikes Jolt Gulkana & Gakona Junction

Massive Lightning Strikes Hit The Gulkana-to-Sailors Pit Area On Saturday, May 30th, Shaking Homes 

Lightning Strike (Wikimedia)

It was a good thing it rained all weekend, tamping down the risk of fire. Around 3:20 pm on Saturday the 30th, at least four noisy and uncharacteristically strong lightning strikes whacked Gakona Junction.

Cabins and houses shook, as up to more than 120,000 amps of electricity rumbled to the ground. (That's a lot of amps.) At least four strikes hit the area near Sailors Pit north of the junction. 

A few more hit the region out by Lake Louise, according to  Sunshine Meitzner, Dispatch Supervisor at the Department of Natural Resources in Tazlina. The Division of Forestry is monitoring the situation, but it's been extremely wet, which is a good thing, especially after last year's bad fire year, and the problem of bringing extra firefighters north during Covid-19.

The state of Alaska maintains a "lightning hit" map for the public. 
 

Daily Map on Alaska Website Shows Where Lightning Strikes So Firefighters Know Where To Look

Here's how to get to the map:

Click Here