A Bering Sea storm made landfall and is driving Alaska winter storm warning snow across western and northern Alaska, with the highest impacts expected through Friday. Wind gusts had already topped 50 mph in Bethel, Hooper Bay and Gambell by 7 a.m., while rain, snow and coastal flooding concerns spread along the coast.
The sharpest snow threat is aimed inland. Nome and southern Seward Peninsula locations were expected to collect 3 to 7 inches from Friday into Saturday, while the Noatak alley and Brooks Range could see 10 to 20 inches from Friday through Sunday.
Western Region rain and surf
Rain was beginning to stretch from the Kuskokwim Delta to the Seward Peninsula as the storm pushed ashore, with heavy rain expected in much of the Western Region and consistent rain through the day in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Water levels were expected to climb from the Southwest Coastline to Utqiagvik, with the highest levels on Friday.
The Aleutian Chain was expected to take heavy rain and wind gusts up to 70 to 75 mph through Friday, with lingering gusts into Saturday and weaker showers ahead. Southcentral was described as staying on the sunny and quiet side of the forecast.
Brooks Range snow and wind
North Slope impacts were expected to arrive Friday evening and continue through the weekend. Fairbanks was likely to get light and scattered snow on Sunday, and Interior Alaska was expected to see cloud cover return on Saturday as the outer edge of the storm reached Western Interior locations such as McGrath and Tanana.
A Wind Advisory was in effect Saturday through Sunday along the Alaska Range, with southeast winds of 35 to 45 mph and gusts as high as 75 mph. That keeps the strongest wind threat aimed at the same broad corridor that is already dealing with snow, rain and rising water.
Friday through Sunday
The storm is doing the most work before the weekend, then easing in pieces rather than all at once. That leaves coastal communities watching water levels Friday, inland towns watching the snow band through Sunday, and some northern areas waiting for the worst conditions to arrive later in the day.
