Weather

It is unclear whether more southern tropical storms are transforming into damaging storms up north, but they are hitting a more vulnerable Alaska landscape.

A low-pressure system is expected to bring nearly 80 mph wind gusts to the west coast this week, according to the National Weather Service. Coastal wind warnings and winter weather hazards have been issued for large portions of Western Alaska.

Fall storm season approaches for Western Alaska. This year, the region is still recovering from ex-typhoon Halong, which swept through the area in October 2025. Here’s what to know about this year’s fall forecast.

The forecast is based on indications that water temperatures will be 2 or more degrees Celsius above normal in a bellwether patch of the central Pacific Ocean.

Last year’s federal budget reconciliation bill included billions of dollars for aviation improvements around the country – including many new weather stations in Alaska.

Across the region, wind chills hovered around 50 degrees below zero for multiple days, reaching -58 at Bethel’s airport. Now the region is beginning to thaw out, thanks to a massive high-pressure system over the Gulf of Alaska.

Communities are tallying up damage from a severe Bering Sea storm that brought flood warnings to a vast swath of Alaska’s western coast. But along the Yukon Delta coast, no significant damage was reported as of the morning of Thursday, Oct. 9.

A Kuskokwim Delta coastal flood advisory and flood watch along the Kuskokwim River are in effect.

The draft cuts would eliminate several research institutes the agency funds in Alaska, including the one where Rick Thoman works.

In a state with harsh weather and many industries that rely on accurate weather data and forecasts, the Trump administration's cuts stand to have an outsize impact.