The remnants of an Asian typhoon will pour up to six inches of rain onto Juneau by the end of Friday and cause some flooding, the National Weather Service warns.
In a message Thursday morning, Weather Service forecasters said the aftermath of Typhoon Lan has created an atmospheric river carrying a stream of water from the subtropics toward Southeast Alaska.
Between Thursday and Friday, the Weather Service says Juneau will get about 5.78 inches of rain as the atmospheric river sends a torrent of rain through the gap in the outer coast formed by Icy Strait. Hoonah will see more than 3 inches, Gustavus more than 5 inches; Pelican is expected to see more than seven and a half inches of rain.
A flood watch extends across northern Southeast, from the southern tip of Baranof Island to the Canadian border north of Skagway and Klukwan.
According to a cautionary message sent by the Weather Service, “The persistent heavy rain will saturate the soils and combine with rising freezing levels to melt high elevation snow resulting in the potential to produce significant runoff. The runoff will cause significant fast rises on small creeks and streams and could produce some flooding.”
By 1 p.m. Thursday, the Weather Service had already seen more than a third of an inch of rain at Juneau International Airport.
There is some good news in the forecast, however: Once the atmospheric river passes through the area Friday evening, skies will clear in time for the weekend.
The forecast for Saturday and Sunday calls for mostly sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid 40s.
• Contact reporter James Brooks at james.k.brooks@juneauempire.com or call 523-2258.
