Drone leads police to lost hiker in Alaska after wind covers her tracks with snow
By
Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 5, 2020 6:49 PM EDT
Drone footage from Anchorage, Alaska, on March 28 shows how police use drones to find and rescue lost hikers.
In a mission that was similar to “finding a needle in a haystack,” police were able to find a lost hiker using an infrared drone in Alaska.
According to police, dispatchers received a call from a hiker who was lost in a snow-covered wooded area.
"She was off-trail, and due to the wind, she was no longer able to see her footprints in the snow which she normally could have followed back out,” the Anchorage Police Department said in a Facebook post.
The hiker was located by the drone in the upper right portion of the image. (Facebook/Anchorage Police Department)
A gusty breeze developed in the later afternoon and evening, with some wind gusts of 20-30 mph recorded in Anchorage, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sodja.
"Stronger gusts nearby certainly would have been possible, wind gusts can be enhanced by some of the local terrain wherever this hiker was hiking. The mountains and valleys can funnel the wind and make it locally stronger,” Sodja said.
“Did we mention the wind? Yes, it was cold out to boot. You know what winter wind in Alaska feels like. Due to all of those things, the lady could tell us the general vicinity she was in but that’s about it. Our dispatcher told her to stay put and that we would find her,” the department said.
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According to Sodja, the high was 29 F and the low was 17 F. The high of 29 F was 8 F degrees below average for the date, and the low of 17 F was just 5 F degrees below average for the date.
The Anchorage Police Department sent some officers out on foot while another officer operated a drone. After 15 minutes of flight time, the drone pinpointed the hikers location with its infrared camera. The drone officer was able to tell the woman that help was on the way with the drones loudspeaker.
“She was really happy to hear the mysterious voice in the sky tell her that,” authorities said.
The Anchorage Police Department shows how they spotted the hiker with their infrared drone. (Facebook/Anchorage Police Department)
The officer was able to get the hikers coordinates from the drone, which he relayed to the officers who were hiking to find the woman.
The Police Department made sure to mention that all of the searchers were trekking six feet apart due to the coronavirus social distancing rules.
“We got her out safe and sound,” the post said. “Heaven knows we can use as many of those [good stories] as we can get right now.”
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather News
Drone leads police to lost hiker in Alaska after wind covers her tracks with snow
By Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 5, 2020 6:49 PM EDT
Drone footage from Anchorage, Alaska, on March 28 shows how police use drones to find and rescue lost hikers.
In a mission that was similar to “finding a needle in a haystack,” police were able to find a lost hiker using an infrared drone in Alaska.
According to police, dispatchers received a call from a hiker who was lost in a snow-covered wooded area.
"She was off-trail, and due to the wind, she was no longer able to see her footprints in the snow which she normally could have followed back out,” the Anchorage Police Department said in a Facebook post.
The hiker was located by the drone in the upper right portion of the image. (Facebook/Anchorage Police Department)
A gusty breeze developed in the later afternoon and evening, with some wind gusts of 20-30 mph recorded in Anchorage, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sodja.
"Stronger gusts nearby certainly would have been possible, wind gusts can be enhanced by some of the local terrain wherever this hiker was hiking. The mountains and valleys can funnel the wind and make it locally stronger,” Sodja said.
“Did we mention the wind? Yes, it was cold out to boot. You know what winter wind in Alaska feels like. Due to all of those things, the lady could tell us the general vicinity she was in but that’s about it. Our dispatcher told her to stay put and that we would find her,” the department said.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
According to Sodja, the high was 29 F and the low was 17 F. The high of 29 F was 8 F degrees below average for the date, and the low of 17 F was just 5 F degrees below average for the date.
The Anchorage Police Department sent some officers out on foot while another officer operated a drone. After 15 minutes of flight time, the drone pinpointed the hikers location with its infrared camera. The drone officer was able to tell the woman that help was on the way with the drones loudspeaker.
“She was really happy to hear the mysterious voice in the sky tell her that,” authorities said.
The Anchorage Police Department shows how they spotted the hiker with their infrared drone. (Facebook/Anchorage Police Department)
The officer was able to get the hikers coordinates from the drone, which he relayed to the officers who were hiking to find the woman.
Related:
The Police Department made sure to mention that all of the searchers were trekking six feet apart due to the coronavirus social distancing rules.
“We got her out safe and sound,” the post said. “Heaven knows we can use as many of those [good stories] as we can get right now.”
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo