Observation by Harold Okitkun:
We are experiencing a very high tide after the high winds we had last night. It is very strange to have the water come over the riverbank in the middle of summer. The summer tides usually get pretty high, but not over the riverbanks. We usually experience our floods in the fall during our stormy weather. The tide looks to be going out slowly now and hopefully it will stay down.
Rick Thoman, Climate Scientist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, writes:
The high water and flooding in Kotlik were likely the result of a combination of elevated water volume in the Yukon River as the near record Koyukuk River drainage snow pack moved into Norton Sound and southwest winds into Norton Sound following a weak weather front that moved through the area during the day on July 2nd, pushing ocean water levels up. The elevated ocean water can be seen in the water level plot from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) gauge at Unalakleet during July 2 and 3.
