NWS forecast calls for 1 to 2 more inches of rain in Southwest Alaska

A Bering Sea storm is expected to drop another 1 to 2 inches of rain on Southwest Alaska through Tuesday, with up to 3 inches possible in the Western Alaska Range, the National Weather Service in Anchorage said Monday. The rain caps a multiday soaking across the region.

The heaviest rain is forecast to shift Monday into Tuesday to the Alaska Peninsula and the Southwest Interior, including the Lake Iliamna region. For the Kuskokwim Delta and Bristol Bay, the heaviest rain was expected Monday morning.

Along the coast from west of Dillingham to the Western Capes, sustained southerly winds of 25 to 35 mph are forecast to persist through Monday afternoon, strongest early Monday morning. NWS Anchorage said those winds could push water levels up to 1 foot above the mean high tide line. Togiak, Goodnews Bay and Platinum sit inside that band.

"Along Bristol Bay, beware of gusty winds and high water levels along the coast," NWS Anchorage said in a special weather statement issued at 5:08 a.m. Monday. The statement runs until 5 p.m. Monday. It covers the Kuskokwim Valley, Lime Village, the Interior Kuskokwim Delta, the Northern Alaska Peninsula, Inland Bristol Bay and the Bristol Bay communities of Naknek and King Salmon.

An earlier special weather statement, issued at 3:55 p.m. Sunday and covering the same zones, put rainfall at 1 to 2 inches, with up to 2.5 inches possible in the Togiak area, along the Kuskokwim Valley and near the western Alaska Range. That statement expired at 6 a.m. Monday.

NWS Anchorage advised residents to check the forecast before traveling or working outdoors.