“This is a dangerous storm expected to cause widespread coastal flooding south of the Bering Strait with water levels approaching levels not seen in nearly 50 years,” the National Weather Service warned in a Thursday forecast. Along the Alaska coast, the main threats are a double coastal flood and winds up to 60 mph with higher gusts that could dislodge loose objects, damage buildings and down power lines. Forecasters in Alaska also urged residents to prepare for the storm, which could threaten to overwhelm critical infrastructure and wash out roads. The effects of the storm are expected Friday through Sunday morning, with rising water levels the highest Saturday. “Some locations may experience the worst coastal flooding in nearly 50 years. The peak water level will remain for 10 to 14 hours before the water recedes,” the weather service in Fairbanks, Alaska, warned. Some areas such as Savoonga, Diomede and the Bering Strait could see these conditions along with even higher wind gusts of 90 mph. Other areas at risk include the Chukchi Coast and Kotzebue Sound, the weather service in Fairbanks said. Coastal flood watches have also been issued for all coasts along the west coast of Alaska between just north of the Arctic Circle to the coast of the Kuskokwim Delta. The last time Alaska saw a storm this powerful was in 2011, when it left a large swath of destruction in its wake. Like Merbok, the 2011 system was an extratropical storm. An extratropical storm or cyclone has cold air at its core — unlike a tropical storm or cyclone which has a warm core. Both can cause significant damage from strong winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms. “When a big storm comes, we always say, ‘does it compare to the storm of 2011?’” Jonathan Crist, a meteorologist with the weather service in Fairbanks, told CNN. “This is the first storm since 2011 that we have a lot of confidence in … we will compare the impact.” On Friday, the remnants of Merbok are forecast to move into the Bering Sea and “bomb out” in a process known as bombogenesis, which refers to a pressure drop of 24 millibars in 24 hours or less. This means the storm is rapidly strengthening and has the potential to cause significant damage. “Winds will peak early Saturday morning near Shishmaref and during the day Saturday near Kotzebue and the Chukchi coast,” the weather service said. “There will be coastal flooding, in addition to significant beach erosion.” While most areas will see about 1 inch of rain with this storm, some areas could get as much as 2 to 3 inches over the weekend. Even if Anchorage gets 1 to 2 inches from this storm, it will push this year into the five wettest years on record. CNN’s Allison Chinchar and Pedram Javaheri contributed to this report.
