Flood watch issued for Juneau, Gustavus and Yakutat ahead of stronger Tuesday storm

The National Weather Service in Juneau on Sunday issued a flood watch for Juneau, Gustavus and Yakutat from Monday evening through late Tuesday night. The watch comes days after two weather systems dropped nearly 8 inches of rain at the Silvis Powerhouse near Ketchikan.

Yakutat could see 4 to 6 inches of rain by Tuesday evening, and more than 8 inches above 1,000 feet. The watch said isolated landslides are possible in steep terrain around Yakutat, Gustavus, Elfin Cove and Pelican. Forecasters said rain in Juneau and Gustavus could match Friday's atmospheric river, which put the Salmon River and Montana Creek into minor flood stage.

The weather service expects a short break Sunday night into Monday before a stronger low deepens in the northern Gulf of Alaska on Tuesday. In Ketchikan and on Annette Island, a wind advisory calls for gusts to 50 mph from 10 am Tuesday to 4 am Wednesday. Mariners should expect gales in northern Lynn Canal and Clarence Strait Tuesday, and seas above 20 feet in outer coastal waters, mainly from Cape Edgecombe northward.

Snow levels are expected to fall to 1,000 to 2,000 feet Tuesday night and Wednesday, with light snow showers possible along the Klondike Highway and upper Haines Highway through Thursday.

Last week's rain came in about as forecasters expected on Oct. 12, when they said southern Southeast could get 3 to 5 inches in a day. The Silvis Powerhouse, at about 800 feet, got nearly 8 inches in the 24 hours ending early Friday. Ketchikan and Metlakatla got 4 to 6 inches from the two systems, and northern panhandle communities got 2 to 4 inches, according to the weather service's Friday morning forecast discussion. Gusts reached about 60 mph overnight in Hydaburg, Ketchikan and Annette Island.

Ketchikan recorded 5.71 inches Thursday alone, against a normal of 0.59 inches for the day and just short of the 1944 record of 6.56 inches, according to the climate summary for Oct. 15. The city has had 11.66 inches this month and 91.43 inches since Jan. 1.

Thursday evening, the local fire department reported that high water and debris closed the Third Avenue Bypass and a small slide blocked drainage elsewhere, according to a weather service storm report.