Seward faces heavy rain and flood risk again, weeks after July storm

Seward is bracing for another round of heavy rain, with 2 to 4 inches expected from Monday evening through Thursday morning and a risk of flooding and isolated landslides in the steep terrain around town.

The National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch for the Southern Kenai Mountains as an atmospheric river pushes moisture over the peninsula. Heavier rain sets in Monday night, and forecasters put the odds of 2 to 4 inches at 70 to 80 percent, with a smaller chance of more than 5. Runoff could flood rivers, creeks and low-lying areas, and people in flood-prone spots should be ready to act.

Seward's steep, glaciated mountains and abundant water make it unusually prone to floods and debris flows, so heavy rain there carries both flooding and landslide risk.

It's the second such threat in weeks. A storm on the same terrain in mid-July escalated to a Flood Warning after forecasters warned the Seward Airport runway could flood with debris from the Resurrection River.