Residents along Alaska’s western coast were battening down Friday before the expected arrival of one of the fiercest storms the state has faced in more than a decade, with meteorologists warning of hurricane-force winds and heavy rain that could trigger severe flooding.
The remnants of Typhoon Merbok is forecast to remain a powerful storm system as it travels across the Bering Sea region — which spans the northern Pacific Ocean between Alaska and Russia — Friday through Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
“This is a dangerous storm that is expected to produce widespread coastal flooding south of the Bering Strait with water levels approaching levels not seen in nearly 50 years,” the National Weather Service warned.
“Strong and damaging” wind gusts up to 90 mph were predicted along the Alaska coast while meteorologists have also warned of dangerous storm surges. A surge of 8-11 feet is expected in Nome starting late Friday, with a 9-13 foot surge forecast near Golovin and 12-18 foot surge along the coast from Elim to Koyuk.
The National Weather Service also issued coastal flood warnings for Friday, spanning parts of southwest Alaska all the way up to the Chukchi Sea coast in the northwest corner of the state. An additional alert was issued starting Saturday morning for the Kotzebue Sound and the Chukchi Sea coast.
Residents north of the Bering Strait will face less severe conditions, according to meteorologists, with wind gusts up to 65 m.p.h.
The last time Alaska saw weather this severe was in 2011, when an extratropical storm — which is fueled by cold air rather than hot like a cyclone or tropical storm — tore through the region, leaving a huge amount of destruction in its wake.
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