While recovery efforts continue in Western Alaska from a historic September storm, the next weather event is expected to arrive today, Sept. 21, and tomorrow. But forecasters say this fall storm will be more typical and not nearly as alarming.
“It’s going to have wind, it’s going to have rain. I want to stress this is not a tropical storm, or an ex-anything. It’s kind of what we might expect for a late September storm,” climatologist Rick Thoman with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy said.
Like Thoman said, the National Weather Service is calling for minimal impacts to Western Alaska. NWS issued high surf advisories Sept. 21 from the Yukon Delta to St. Lawrence Island and into the Norton Sound through the afternoon of Sept. 22. This fall storm is expected to bring higher waves with beach erosion, more rain and fog. NWS does not expect additional flooding at this point.
Beyond that, Thoman said there has been some discussion, including from Governor Mike Dunleavy, about a possible typhoon from Japan hitting the Bering Strait region next week.
“Typhoon Nanmadol, which is a major typhoon moving into southern Japan right now, that does not look to have any significant chance of affecting our weather at all. It’s probably going to dissipate south of Kamchatka, there’s a slight chance it could hold together and move along the Aleutians, but Nanmadol is not going to be a factor for our weather,” Thoman said.
In the coming days Western Alaska should have more time to focus on recovery from the last storm rather than prepping for another one, according to Thoman. However, the wind and decreased visibility from this new storm today could hinder flying as various emergency supplies are being flown to communities in need.
Image at top: The National Weather Service issued a high surf advisory for Sept. 21-22. Image courtesy of NWS Fairbanks.
