Fierce winds from a hurricane-force "super storm" pounded the Western Alaska coast overnight, but by first light Wednesday it appeared the low-lying region avoided the nightmare fear of extensive coastal flooding.

Surf pounded Nome's breakwater, sending spray flying onto roadways in the old, gold-mining center of the state's Northwest. But there appeared no major flooding. The National Weather Service, however, was cautioning that the region is not in the clear yet.

Video courtesy Scott Johnson, Nome

"It's still really nasty," said forecaster Bob Fischer. "There's a lot of time remaining for more flooding and damage."

Coastal flood warnings remained in effect for much of the region as the high tide expected at midday approached. There were fears up and down the coast after a night with winds that shook homes, made the snow blow sideways and took off a few roofs.

Power went out in a number of villages as well as Nome, one of the larger communities along Alaska's undeveloped western coast, despite a population of only 3,500 people. Most Western Alaska residents live in communities of no more than a few hundred people. Many depend on primitive infrastructure.

In Alakanuk, a community on the Yukon River not far from the coast, residents had stored water for emergencies and worried that flooding could take out their sewer system. Blizzard conditions and open-water dangers made travel near impossible.

Most of the coast away from the Seward Peninsula is without roads. The peninsula has roads radiating out from Nome, but many of them are not maintained in winter. At that time of year, they function as snowmachine trails, but the weather on Tuesday and early Wednesday was too nasty to be out in a snowmachine, even without the danger of open water.

North and east of Nome at Ambler, two men died in Alaska's first fatal snowmachine accident of the season Tuesday. It was not storm related, but it was weather related. They perished when their sled plunged into open water.

Water -- open or incoming as coastal tides surged -- was the big fear of everyone in the region. There was water reported around a lot of homes, but no one reported flooding -- just blizzard conditions and those banshee winds.

Remote Wales reported a wind gust to 89 mph. Point Hope hit 79 mph; Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, 77 mph; Kivalina, 73 mph; and Unalakleet, 69 mph mph. Winds of that speed are capable of knocking people down. Most residents stayed indoors.

Alaska Dispatch reporters Jill Burke and Alex DeMarban contributed to this report. Contact Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com