An atmospheric river with multiple surges of moisture has started to push into the panhandle as of early Friday morning and is expected to continue through Friday, lasting into early Saturday morning. Precipitation is expected to start as snow for many areas, but will be transitioning to rain for area near sea level up to around Icy Strait and Juneau into Friday morning and at the latest overnight Friday into Saturday for the far northern inner channels of the panhandle. As of 4am Friday, the southern panhandle has begun to swap over to rain. Moving northward, the Icy Strait changeover is expected during the morning hours of Friday, and Friday evening at the latest for Haines and Skagway. With this transition, snow levels are expected to rapidly increase to 2500 ft or greater in the southern half of the panhandle through Friday. For Haines and Skagway, it is possible to only reach around 1000 ft. Total rainfall amounts from late Thursday night through Friday night may range around 3.0 to 4.5 inches extreme southern panhandle, including Ketchikan and Metlakatla, 2.0-3.5 inches for the central inner channels including Petersburg, Wrangell, and Kake, 2.0 to 3.5 inches for the Icy Strait corridor including Juneau, and 1.0 to 1.5 inches for the far northern inner channels near sea level. Furthermore, any snowfall accumulations on areas cleared of the deep snow pack, such as sidewalks or roadways, may cause additional runoff from melting snow. Currently expecting the snowpack to absorb most rainfall from this weekend system and produce minimal runoff in the northern half of the panhandle with a deep sea level snowpack. Therefore, snow, ice, or other debris could potentially blocking storm drains and allow for ponding of rain and snowmelt in areas that they normally would not collect, such as roadways. Rain for sea level areas is expected to continue into the weekend, with a series of fronts to push more moisture over the area. Early indication of an additional 1.5-2.5 inches of rain for the southern panhandle, 1.0 to 2.0 inches for the central panhandle and Icy Strait, and up to 1.5 inches of rain near Haines and Skagway. Details for how this will interact with the existing snowpack and when it will be primed and begin to runoff is still unknown at this time. Stay tuned for more information. * 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 9 AM AKST this 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 through 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 4.5 inches with possibly locally higher amounts, particularly near Ketchikan and Metlakatla, of rain is across the central and southern panhandle Thursday night through Friday night. An additional 1.0 to 2.0 inches of rain for the central panhandle and 1.5 to 2.5 for the extreme southern panhandle is possible on Saturday. Areas with a preexisting snowpack, both from recent accumulations as well as the deep, previous snowpack, may have additional runoff. Gusty winds at sea level ranging from 40 to 60 mph are likely along the southern panhandle through Friday night. This combination of weather hazards could lead to possible isolated landslides along steep slopes. Conditions for the possibility of flooding and possible isolated landslides will be maximize Friday evening and decrease by Saturday morning. Stream flows in rivers may quickly rise and may exceed flood levels. This atmospheric river has the possibility to extend through the weekend with additional rainfall Sunday.

* WHAT...Southeast winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph expected. * WHERE...Ketchikan Gateway Borough and Annette Island. * WHEN...From 3 PM Friday to 3 AM AKST Saturday. * IMPACTS...High winds will blow around unsecured objects and may damage property and cause power outages. Travel will be difficult. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds will quickly increase through Friday afternoon with the strongest winds by Friday evening. Wind gusts before and after the warning times will also be strong, with gusts increasing late Friday morning to around 40 mph and remaining strong into late Friday. Stronger winds will also be observed at higher elevations.