By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitkans are advised to brace for high winds and heavy rainfall as an unusually powerful fall storm slams Southeast Alaska today and Saturday, the National Weather Service says.
The forecast calls for winds well above 30 miles per hour with gusts tonight possibly breaking 70 miles per hour.
“Typically this time of year we’re used to having pretty strong storms in the Gulf... but this system in part is a bit stronger than what we normally see,” NWS meteorologist Cody Moore told the Sentinel today from his Juneau office.
“I’d say we normally see a system like this once every other year... with hurricane-force gusts,” Moore said.
The storm struck the outer coast of Southeast overnight and has since dropped almost an inch of rain on Sitka, he said. The forecast is available on weather.gov. The marine forecast is posted to marine.weather.gov.
“Since it started raining last night, Sitka has picked up around three quarters of an inch of rain so far, and it looks like we’re going to get another three inches of rain forecast over the next 24 to 36 hours,” Moore said.
The storm will raise the risk for landslides and floods on land, and gale conditions at sea, he added.
“Along the outer coast, especially farther offshore, we can get seas upward of 30 feet with this system.” Moore said. “Closer to the coast, seas won’t be as high than when you go offshore. In some of the inner channels and close to the coast we’re going to get seas greater than 10 feet. We’re getting gale-force and storm-force winds.”
Water conditions between Baranof and Admiralty islands are likely to become particularly rough, he said.
“I’m more confident in south Chatham, that they’ll get very high seas especially toward the ocean entrances,” Moore said.
Moore encouraged Sitkans to secure their boats as well as possessions on land that could take to the air in high winds.
“With the heavy rains and high winds and crazy seas, just make sure everyone is prepared for that. They’ve locked their boats and secured any lawn furniture or secured any objects that can become projectiles.”
He asked that people report storm-related damage and landslides to the National Weather Service office in Juneau at 907-790-6802.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – which oversees the weather service – says on its website that some weather events are becoming more extreme because of human-caused climate change. On its own website the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that “extreme weather events such as heat waves and large storms are likely to become more frequent or more intense with human-induced climate change.”
