Heavy rain and near-60 mph gusts hit Southeast Alaska this weekend

A big Pacific storm is rolling into Southeast Alaska this weekend, bringing heavy rain that should send small rivers and streams up fast and winds that could gust near 60 mph across the gulf.

Forecasters expect 1.5 to 3 inches of rain a day, with spots near Yakutat and along the gulf coast getting closer to 4, and the heaviest rates landing late Saturday into Sunday. Streams will rise quickly, but the National Weather Service in Juneau does not expect flooding.

The wind is the other half. Gale warnings cover the outer coast from Cape Spencer to Cape Suckling through Friday evening, with small craft advisories inside from Lynn Canal to Clarence Strait. Gusts to 50 knots are forecast across the gulf and the northern inner channels through the weekend, and seas on the gulf build from 11 feet Friday to 18 feet by Sunday. On land, gusts along the gulf coast could reach about 45 mph.

The statement stretches from Yakutat down through Skagway, Haines, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Juneau and Petersburg.

None of this is unusual for the season. Fall is Southeast's wettest stretch, and the big Pacific storms that bring damaging wind are most common from August through October.