Breiland Slough Cabin

Flood Watch issued January 7 at 10:50PM AKST until January 10 at 9:00PM AKST by NWS Juneau AK

An atmospheric river is expected to arrive across the panhandle starting late Thursday night and lasting through early Saturday morning. Precipitation is expected to start as snow for many areas, but will be transitioning to rain for many sea level areas into Friday. Southern panhandle is expected to switch over first Thursday night with the central and northern inner channels switching to rain sometime Friday morning. Total rainfall amounts from late Thursday night through Friday night may range around 1 to 4 inches. In addition, there is a very deep snow pack in place in the northern and central panhandle that is potentially blocking storm drains and generally allowing for ponding of rain and snowmelt in areas that they normally would not collect. * WHAT...Flooding caused by rain and snowmelt continues to be possible. * WHERE...The following areas, Prince of Wales, Eastern Gulf Coast, Southern Inner Channels and Central Inner Channels. This includes the cities of Sitka, Petersburg, Kake, Port Alexander, Craig, Klawock, Hydaburg, Coffman Cove, Thorne Bay, Wrangell, Ketchikan, Hyder, And Metlakatla. * WHEN...From Friday morning through Saturday evening. * IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, other low-lying areas and flood-prone locations. Storm drains and ditches may become clogged with debris or snow. Increased risk of possible isolated landslides. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - An atmospheric river is forecast to impact the panhandle late Thursday night into Friday night. The Southern and Central panhandle may start out as snow, but is expected to switch to rain late Thursday night. Around 2 to 4 inches with possibly locally higher amounts of rain is across the central and southern panhandle Thursday night through Friday night. Some areas may still have some snow around which could increase the possibility of flooding in those areas as it melts. Gusty winds at sea level ranging from 40 to 60 mph are also possible along the southern panhandle Friday. This combination of weather hazards could lead to increased risk possible isolated landslides along steep slopes. Stream flows in rivers may quickly rise and reach bankful levels. There is also a possibility of more moderate to heavy rain later in the weekend as a series of further systems may impact the watch area.