Bering Sea storm floods roads in Hooper Bay, Teller and Wales, with gusts to 71 mph

A Bering Sea storm flooded roads in Hooper Bay, Teller and Wales on Friday, including roads to the Hooper Bay airfield, according to reports compiled by the National Weather Service in Fairbanks.

Multiple residents reported flooding in Hooper Bay, where the weather service estimated water peaked 4 to 6 feet above the normal high tide line around 2 pm, with gusts up to about 60 mph. Forecasters had warned Wednesday that rising water could cut the village off from its airstrip, Alaska News reported.

In Teller and Wales on the Seward Peninsula, residents reported roads underwater and outlying buildings affected, with water estimated at 3 to 5 feet above the normal high tide line. The weather service expects water there to drop to 2 to 4 feet above high tide Sunday into Monday.

The strongest measured gust on the coast was 71 mph at Wales. Mountain Village on the Lower Yukon recorded 68 mph, Point Hope 61, Hooper Bay 56 and Nome 55. Blizzard conditions hit Kotzebue and White Mountain Friday afternoon, and Nome got 6 inches of snow before it turned to rain.

The wind has eased along the coast, but forecasters said Saturday that strong southwest flow will keep water elevated and surf high through early next week, especially at high tide. A high surf advisory covers the Yukon Delta coast until 4 am Tuesday, and coastal flood advisories cover the Bering Strait coast and Shishmaref until 10 pm Sunday.

Two more strong Bering Sea lows are forecast to move through the Bering Strait, one Sunday into Monday and another Monday into Tuesday, bringing more rain, snow, wind and coastal flooding, Alaska News reported Saturday. The weather service has issued a high wind watch for the Bering Strait coast, Shishmaref and St. Lawrence Island from Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon, and coastal flood watches from Tuesday morning into Wednesday from Shishmaref north to the Western Arctic coast.