Thursday into Friday, an impactful frontal system with an associated weak to moderate Atmospheric River, primarily aimed at the southern Panhandle, will move over southeast Alaska. This system will bring moderate to heavy rainfall and strong winds to a widespread area. The heaviest precipitation looks to focus over the southern panhandle with 2 inches of rain in 24 hours. Around southern Baranof Island and at higher elevations, rain totals around or greater than 3 inches are possible in 24 hours. The heaviest of this rain will be Thursday evening with rain rates of 0.1 to 0.15 inches per hour. Isolated areas could see greater than 0.2 inches per hour. A Flood Advisory has also been issued for Ward Lake near Ketchikan. Winds over the eastern Gulf, Clarence Strait, and near Dixon Entrance will reach gale force of 35 to 40 kts as the front pushes through Thursday. Wind gusts up to 45 to 50 kts are possible near Kayak Island Thursday afternoon. Land areas in the southern panhandle will experience wind gusts up to 40 mph.
