NWS Issues Hurricane Force Wind Warning for Bering Sea Through Monday Evening
Winds forecast to reach 65 knots and seas up to 36 feet Monday as a powerful storm system batters offshore waters west of 180° — a second low is already building behind it.
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC / Wikimedia Commons
The National Weather Service in Anchorage issued a Hurricane Force Wind Warning at 3:52 AM Alaska Daylight Time on October 25, covering Bering Sea offshore waters west of 180° and east of the International Date Line. The warning runs through 5:00 PM AKDT on October 26 — but the worst conditions are forecast to arrive Monday afternoon, well within that window.
According to the NWS Anchorage offshore waters forecast, Monday is the critical period: southeast winds of 40 to 55 knots are expected to intensify to south winds of 50 to 65 knots by afternoon, driving seas from 16–24 feet up to 23–35 feet. Monday night brings southwest winds of 45 to 60 knots with seas reaching 21 to 36 feet. Rain is forecast both Monday and Monday night.
Conditions today (Saturday) are significant but more moderate — southwest winds 30 to 45 knots, seas 16 to 24 feet. Overnight, winds ease briefly to 15–30 knots before shifting southeast at 25–40 knots after midnight, with seas dropping to 12–20 feet and rain developing. Tuesday offers the clearest relief, with southwest winds falling to 20–35 knots and seas to 12–20 feet, before another round of elevated seas Thursday.
The offshore warning is the sharpest edge of a broader storm system already hammering western Alaska. According to Alaska's News Source, the highest wind gust recorded across the region reached 75 mph as of Friday evening, with gusts elsewhere in western Alaska ranging from 40 to 60 mph. Coastal flooding and large breaking waves have driven water levels two to ten feet above the normal high tide line in some locations, with Hooper Bay, Kotzebue, areas of Norton Sound, and parts of the Kuskokwim Delta Coast identified as the primary areas of concern.
Blizzard conditions have added to the threat for areas along and north of the Seward Peninsula, according to Alaska's News Source, with winds up to 65 mph combining with heavy snow to produce whiteout conditions. The Noatak Valley and Brooks Range face the highest snow accumulation totals, with double-digit inches possible in those areas.
A secondary low is already developing behind the current storm. Alaska's News Source reports it will reinforce windy conditions for southwest Alaska and extend coastal flooding and high surf concerns through at least Sunday on land — even as the offshore Hurricane Force Wind Warning targets the most extreme marine conditions into Monday evening.
Mariners and coastal residents should monitor weather.gov/afc for the latest updates.
Why it matters — Mariners operating in the eastern Bering Sea face life-threatening wind and wave conditions through Monday evening, and coastal communities in western Alaska remain at risk from flooding and erosion as a second storm system moves in behind the first.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- No cancellation or expiration of the Hurricane Force Wind Warning had been issued as of the morning of October 26
- Noatak Valley and Brooks Range could see double-digit inch snow accumulation totals
- specific Wind Advisory and Coastal Flood Advisory details for Kuskokwim Coast as of morning of October 26 and reference to NWS Anchorage X account post
Reported by weather.gov, winterweatherwarnings.com, alaskasnewssource.com
