Haines Borough and Klukwan face gusts to 50 mph under wind advisory starting Monday

The National Weather Service in Juneau issued flood watches Monday for Juneau, Gustavus, Yakutat, Elfin Cove and Pelican, and wind advisories from Yakutat to Ketchikan, ahead of an atmospheric river arriving Monday night.

The watches run from Monday evening through late Tuesday night. Prolonged moderate to heavy rain will bring "significant river rises with the potential for at least minor flooding in Juneau and Gustavus," the weather service said. Low-water crossings could flood, and isolated landslides are possible on steep terrain.

Juneau could see 2 to 4 inches of rain by Tuesday evening, more than 4 inches above 1,000 feet, with the heaviest rain rates expected overnight into Tuesday. Gustavus, Elfin Cove and Pelican could get 2 to 4 inches, and Yakutat 4 to 6 inches, with more than 8 possible at higher elevations.

It's the second storm in days. On Friday, Montana Creek in Juneau's Mendenhall Valley rose just past flood stage, the level where water runs over the low-water crossing on Montana Creek Road, and the Salmon River in Gustavus briefly rose past flood stage.

Friday was at least the third time since September that Montana Creek topped that crossing. It crested at 14.8 feet on Oct. 4 and rose over the crossing in early September, Alaska News reported.

Wind will come with the rain. Most of the northern Panhandle is under wind advisories for gusts up to 50 mph, with the strongest gusts around midday Tuesday:

Haines and Klukwan from 4 pm Monday, with southeast winds of 20 to 30 mph. Juneau, Glacier Bay, Eastern Chichagof Island and the outer coast from Cape Fairweather to Lisianski Strait from 9 pm Monday. Sitka, Admiralty Island and western Kupreanof and Kuiu islands from 1 am Tuesday. All run to 4 am Wednesday.

Yakutat's advisory, from 4 pm Monday to 10 pm Tuesday, calls for gusts to 55 mph, strongest by early Tuesday morning. Ketchikan and Annette Island are under an advisory from 10 am Tuesday for gusts to 40 mph, peaking Tuesday evening.

Skagway faces the strongest wind. A High Wind Watch there calls for south winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph from Monday evening through Wednesday afternoon. Winds that strong could damage property and cause power outages, the weather service said.

Haines, Klukwan and Skagway could also get 1.5 to 3.5 inches of rain, heaviest late Tuesday morning into the afternoon, though widespread flooding isn't expected there. Up to 3 inches of wet snow could fall on the Klondike Highway near White Pass through Monday night.

The weather service told boaters to secure their vessels and urged people in flood-prone areas to watch for flood warnings and be ready to act.