Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services

Kugluktuk (Aug 14/00) - High gusting winds reaching speeds of 74 kilometres per hour ripped through Kugluktuk last Monday morning.

On Aug. 7, starting at approximately 3 a.m., the gale force winds stripped shingles, capsized boats and blew tents over, lasting until late evening.

The windstorm came on the heels of a thunderstorm. which hit the community the evening before.

According to Environment Canada's Arctic weather centre in Edmonton, a low pressure system gathered over Great Bear Lake and moved over the community, whipping south-westerly winds into north-westerly winds, causing the windstorm.

The RCMP's six-metre (approx. 20 foot) aluminum boat capsized Sunday evening after the wind caused the boat to fill with water.

A jet boat was sent to drag the boat back to shore, where it was righted with a pay loader.

"The whole operation took five hours," said Sgt.Claude April. "It took us five tries to get the boat right side up."

The only damage was a bent radio antenna.

Kugluktuk resident J.R. Miyok was out on the land 64 kilometres north of Kugluktuk when the winds hit.

"The leader on our tent snapped, and the tent blew over," said Miyok.

"We were lucky there were cabins close so the elderly could find cover," he added.

In town, the winds banged roofs and bent the hamlet flag pole.

"It shook our house," said Kugluktuk resident Anne Klengenberg. "I heard the wind almost took the porch off one house."

"We haven't had wind like this for many years," she added.

According to environment Canada climate specialist Patrick Kyle, the strongest winds to hit Kugluktuk blew through in 1962, when speeds hit 103 km/h.

The last windstorm occurred in 1988, when wind speeds reached 93 km/h.

"It's not usual for Kugluktuk to have north-westerly winds," said Kyle. "That type of wind usually blows through Rankin Inlet."

Resolution Island has the highest recorded wind velocity in the North. On December 24, 1964, winds hit the island at 190 km/h.