Flood watches are in effect for areas of the central and eastern interior through Saturday. The watch areas include the communities Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Tok and Eagle. National weather service meteorologist Benjamin Bartus says rivers are expected to swell as significant rains pelts the region.
"We'll have a low pressure system that's mainly stationary over the interior of Alaska that will keep cycling steady rain and rain showers throughout river basins in the area, so we can expect local rivers like the Chena and the Chatanika to rise significantly through Friday," he said.
Bartus says the low pressure system is laden with moisture gathered in the Gulf of Alaska and funneled from the southeast. He says the rain will help bring the interior closer to normal precipitation for this time of year.
