Golovin under coastal flood watch with water up to 6 feet above high tide

Water could reach Golovin's lowest-lying buildings this week, the National Weather Service in Fairbanks warns. The agency issued a Coastal Flood Watch for the community at 11:19 p.m. AKDT Sunday, Sept. 6. The watch runs from late Tuesday night, Sept. 8, through Friday afternoon, Sept. 11. Forecasters expect water 4 to 6 feet above normal high tide during Wednesday and Thursday high tides. "Some beach erosion may occur," the watch says. Gusty southwesterly winds are expected late Wednesday through Friday, along with 1 to 2 inches of rain. The watch follows a High Surf Advisory that expired Saturday, after water near Golovin peaked early Friday just over 4 feet above normal high tide. Golovin sits near sea level on a sand spit and floods every five to 10 years. The state declared it a flood disaster area in both 2004 and 2005. Bering Sea storm surges and thawing permafrost continue to erode the spit, a chronic threat facing Alaska Native coastal villages across the region.