A series of storms developing over the Bering Sea could bring inches of rain and potential storm surges to the lower Kuskokwim Delta and western capes of Bristol Bay in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Late Wednesday, Aug. 14 and into Thursday, Aug. 15, the first of three storm systems will reach southwest Alaska, bringing 1.5 inches of rain or more to some areas.
“We're expecting most of these impacts for now to be along the southwest Alaska coastline and also parts of the Alaska Peninsula,” said Kristine Chen, a meteorologist with NWS in Anchorage. “With the southerly flow, we're most keying in on the potential for high surf as some of this flow will be perpendicular to the coastline, so it might push some water up onto the coastline.”
The weather service said that gale-force winds developing over the ocean could bring storm surge of 1 to 3 feet above normal highest tide to coastal communities, especially along the northern Kuskokwim Bay.
Late Friday, Aug. 16 into Saturday, Aug. 17, NWS said that a second storm could bring similar impacts to the area, with potential heavy rain and strong southerly winds increasing the impacts to coastal communities especially.
“With these strong winds, it's never a bad idea to tie down any equipment that you might have along the coastline,” Chen said. “And as these storms move in, we really encourage people to monitor the forecast. The people living along the coastline know best what the conditions are like, so we've encouraged them to monitor conditions as they're living life and moving out and about.”
The weather service said that a third storm could roll in from the Bering Sea in the middle of next week, along with more wind, rain, and possible storm surge.
Chen said that it’s important to monitor forecasts, which can change as weather systems develop and shift. She said that NWS will update Weather Radio, as well as its website (weather.gov/anchorage) and social media channels, as models bring more information about the late summer storms.
