Climate Watch

Coastal flooding is, so far at least, very much a feature of autumn weather for Nome and Norton Sound coast, and the most severe flooding typically occurs in October and early November as storms track west of the Pribilof Island, then west of Gambell before crossing Chukotka and then into the southwest Chukchi Sea.

However, it’s almost the 15th anniversary of one of the most significant September storms to impact the region.

September 22-24, 2005 a very strong storm so early in the fall moved across from the eastern Aleutians, across the east end of St. Lawrence Island before stalling out of eastern Chukotka. This is a very unusual track for a storm to produce coastal flooding on the southern Seward Peninsula coast, but the results were devastating. As the weather map shows, at 10 a.m. September 23, 2005, there was a deep storm (not at the level of the 2013 Storm of the Century) and a large area with more than 35 mph winds pushing water to the coast like a snowplow. Here’s a sampling from NOAA’s Storm Data publication on some of the impacts:

“Nome: Water reported into several homes in low lying areas like Belmont Street with about one foot of water above the floor of the homes. Basements in a couple of businesses on Front Street were being pumped out at the same rate they were being flooded. The new Harbor Entrance had sand eroded away and nearly exposed the utility sewer line, which had been buried to connect town with the water treatment plant. Seven power poles knocked down on Mile 3 of the Nome-Council Road. School was cancelled on Friday the 23rd. Wind blew sidling off some homes, also the siding off one face of radio station KNOM building. Minor roof damage to many homes and businesses. Minor flooding on road to airport.

Pilgrim Hot Springs: Cottonwood Bridge collapsed due to the river swollen from excessive rain.

Golovin: Water covered roadway to a depth of 3 feet. Fuel tanks were floating around. Lower half of town was under several feet of water.

White Mountain: Two sunken boats and a few fallen trees. Roads flooded, including the access road to the river. Shaktoolik: a ‘wall of logs’ - a debris pile washed 20 feet behind houses. The old airport lost 10-15 feet of airstrip due to beach erosion.

Elim: Driveway road in front of the Elim Main Street was damaged. Damage to the road to Moses Point (this road was just repaired this summer from the Oct. 2004 storm). Mile 17 and occasionally from mile 20 to 30 was washed out or impassable. Some fish camps near Iron Creek, Moses Point, and Caches were washed out or flooded. Moses Point airstrip partially washed out.”

While we don’t know when the major coastal flooding will hit, we know for sure that it’s only a question of when, and with sea ice formation delayed, there is a longer window for the “the next big one.”