Huge swathes of Alaska’s western coast are bracing for high winds and flooding as a powerful storm threatens to be one of the worst in the state’s recent history.
“Strongest storm in more than a decade is moving into the Bering Sea,” the National Weather Service said.
Moderate to heavy rain is expected in the region through Sunday morning as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok move northeast through the Bering Strait, according to the National Weather Service. Gusts of wind could reach hurricane force in some areas, according to forecasts from the Weather Service.
Significant coastal flooding is expected through Sunday morning with water levels highest Saturday, likely leading to road closures, flooded homes and businesses and coastal erosion, the Weather Service said.
Sea levels are expected to be three to eight feet above normal high tide along the Bering Strait coast, according to the Weather Service. Nome, an Alaskan city on the south coast of the Seward Peninsula, will see water levels 8 to 11 feet above normal high tide, forecasters said.
“HISTORIC LEVEL STORM”:Alaska prepares for flooding, power outages
Peak levels may persist for 10 to 14 hours before the water recedes, according to the weather service in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Wind gusts of 50 to 75 mph are also likely to down trees, damage roofs and buildings, and cause substantial power outages, according to AccuWeather. The storm will also create “life-threatening conditions” for fishing operations, said AccuWeather, which warned small boats to stay in port.
“One of the strongest storms ever to hit the state,” forecasters say
The storm’s impacts may exceed the 2011 Bering Sea superstorm, one of the most powerful cyclones on record in Alaska, the National Weather Service in Fairbanks saidand adds that parts of the state may experience their worst coastal flooding in nearly 50 years.
AccuWeather called it “one of the strongest storms ever to hit the state of Alaska.”
Typhoon Merbok is expected to calm later this weekend as it drifts across the Arctic Circle, AccuWeather said, adding that most of the storm’s impacts will be concentrated in the west and north of Alaska.
Other parts of the state, including Fairbanks and Anchorage, could see rain Sunday through Monday night, according to AccuWeather forecasts.
FORMS OF TROPICAL STORM FIONA:The storm headed for Puerto Rico
Tropical Storm Fiona will hit Puerto Rico
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Fiona is expected to dump up to 16 inches of rain on parts of Puerto Rico on Saturday, threatening severe flooding, landslides and power outages.
The storm is expected to become a hurricane as it nears Puerto Rico, just after battering the eastern Caribbean islands. One death was reported Saturday in Guadeloupe, a French territory in the southern Caribbean Sea.
Puerto Rican authorities have opened shelters and closed public beaches, theaters and museums, urging people to stay indoors.
Contributor: The Associated Press
Contact News Now reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.
