Coastal flood advisory warns water could threaten Hooper Bay airstrip access

The National Weather Service in Fairbanks has issued a coastal flood advisory for the Yukon Delta Coast, in effect from 7 am Thursday to 4 am Saturday. Forecasters expect water 4 to 6 feet above the normal high tide line near Hooper Bay, peaking during Thursday's daytime high tide.

Water will approach beach property in Hooper Bay and may threaten access to the community's airstrip, the advisory says. Localized beach erosion may occur along the coast. Elsewhere on the Yukon Delta Coast, water is expected to reach 2 to 4 feet.

A low-pressure system in the Western Bering Sea is driving the high water and south to southeast winds. The winds ramp up Thursday morning, continue through Friday and ease through Saturday.

The forecast has risen since Tuesday, when the office's high surf advisory called for water 2 to 4 feet above normal. In July and August, NWS Fairbanks advisories said water would approach the road to Hooper Bay Airport but that neither the road nor the airport was expected to flood. In September 2022, ex-typhoon Merbok floated at least three Hooper Bay homes off their foundations, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness.

The weather service is advising residents to protect flood-prone property. Anyone who must travel should allow extra time, since some roads may close. Drivers should not go around barricades or through water of unknown depth.

The advisory expires at 4 am Saturday, but the weather service said Thursday that water will stay elevated through the weekend: 2 to 4 feet above normal high tide at Hooper Bay and 1 to 3 feet elsewhere on the coast.