Bolaven’s remnants from Typhoon Bolaven will be in the Gulf of Alaska this week with moderate to heavy rain and powerful wind gusts towards Southeast Alaska.
National Weather Service meteorologist Kimberly Vaughan said rain is predicted to intensify early on Tuesday.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”We’re hoping for rain to last through this week.” Vaughan said. “It is expected to decrease on Friday.”
A high wind advisory is in effect for all communities located in the Southern panhandle which includes Prince of Wales Island, Ketchikan and Metlakatla — with wind speeds between 20-30 mph, and gusts as high as 60 mph as the former typhoon arrives in the early hours of Tuesday.
At that speed, winds could knock down trees or power lines that could cause power outages in these communities.
While rain may get heavy over the course of 24 hours, rain amounts are expected to range from one to two inches. Meteorologists predict that’s the same as typical fall storms.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”It’s likely to be a heavy downpour and we’ll keep an eye on the level of the river,” Vaughan said. “But it’s not something that’s likely to set records.”
There is a possibility for minor flooding to the whole panhandle. Meteorologists will revise forecasts to provide more details about the flood risk when rain starts to fall.
https://x.com/NWSJuneau/status/1713707577467433238?s=20
In its peak across the western part of the Pacific Ocean this past weekend Typhoon Bolaven recorded rates of up to 180 miles per hour which makes it the second-strongest storm in the world of 2023.
Globally, the temperature of oceans is rising due to climate change caused by humans and this can result in more intense storms, like Typhoon Bolaven. Warm ocean waters can trigger storms to get stronger quicker. The temperatures of water in the Western Pacific are about 1 to 3 degrees above the average.
Also, we are experiencing El Nino conditions this fall which make temperatures in the ocean even more warm. El Nino is a natural climate pattern that can bring warmer water to areas that are located in south Pacific Ocean, which affects the weather patterns in Alaska as well as across North America.
In the event that El Nino conditions combine with the warming triggered by global warming, this could cause more intense storms.
Typhoon Bolaven decreased in strength when it moved over the sea during the weekend. When it finally makes landing in Southeast it will be less strong. However, those living in the Southeast are likely to experience to see a week of rain.
