Typhoon Merbok remnants bring flooding, hurricane winds to Alaska

Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The remnants of Typhoon Merbok began slamming into Alaska early Saturday as one of the state's worst storms in years, bringing high winds, heavy rains and coastal flooding.

Now a heavy rain storm, Merbok had moved to the Bering Strait as of 4 a.m., local time, according to the latest report from the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center. The Bering Strait had 26-foot seas with sustained winds up to 57.5 mph by mid-morning on Saturday.

The strongest storm to hit the state in a decade will "bring potentially historical coastal flooding, high surf, coastal erosion, high winds, high seas and heavy rain to western Alaska and the Bering Sea through the weekend," hitting with the force of a hurricane, according to the National Weather Service.

Heavy flooding is already being reported in some areas, including Anchorage, where residents have put up barricades. Several streets in the city were already under water as of early Saturday.

Photos show buildings surrounded by water in Golovin, Alaska, where the water is expected to rise by another 1-2 feet by the end of the day.

The NWS office in Anchorage reported wind gusts of up to 75 mph late Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Weather warnings for coastal flooding and high winds are in place until Monday in certain areas. Once the storm passes, it could take 10 to 14 hours for the water to recede, the weather service said.

"PLEASE do not go near any flooded areas. Remember, turn around, don't drown. It only takes 6 inches to sweep you off your feet," the NWS in Fairbanks said Saturday.

Merbok initially formed over the northwestern Pacific during the second week of September, even though it is not the normal time of year to have a huge storm in the area, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.