NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

A weak La Niña system is predicted this winter, meaning meteorologists can't forecast whether the Aleutian Islands will experience higher or lower than normal temperatures and precipitation this season.

In this episode of "Island Interviews," Aviva Braun, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, and Barrett Salisbury, a geologist with the Alaska Department of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, discuss what the certification means for the community and how locals can be more prepared for tsunamis and severe storms.

Officials with the National Weather Service, and other state and federal organizations, say Unalaska is prepared for a tsunami. At Tuesday’s city council meeting, they presented local officials with tsunami and weather-related readiness certificates.

The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement for the Eastern Aleutians and Alaska Peninsula. According to the organization, small amounts of ashfall are possible in Unalaska, Nikolski, Sand Point and Cold Bay through Monday afternoon.

Unalaska could see winds of up to 100 miles per hour on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.The federal agency has issued a high wind warning for the Eastern Aleutians including Unalaska and Nikolski from 10 a.m to 9 p.m. Saturday with south to southwest winds of 50 to 70 mph. The strongest winds of around 90 mph are expected from noon to 4 p.m., with gusts up to 100 mph possible, as winds move through the mountains.

Strong winds on the Alaska Peninsula Monday swept volcanic ash from a 1912 eruption across the region, triggering a SIGMET warning from the National Weather Service.

Two ash eruptions from Shishaldin Volcano disrupted air travel to the Aleutians Tuesday.

The National Weather Service is reshaping its coastal waters across Alaska, adding new zones and more accurate forecasting.“We decided to go ahead and pare down our marine zones,” said Aviva Braun, warning coordination meteorologist for the Anchorage weather service office. “So what is currently the coastal water forecast, which goes from shoreline up to 100 nautical miles, is now going from shoreline to 15 nautical miles, and then 15 nautical miles and out. So they’ll be split into two zones, essentially.”

A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Anchorage said a fairly strong low pressure system is traversing the Aleutians from West to East. Cold air, mixed with subtropical moisture, is leading to heavy snow and high winds.

A typical December on the island brings about six inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service, but Unalaska has already received more than 10 inches this month. If the Aleutian community didn’t receive another drop of rain for the rest of the month, this would still be the ninth rainiest December on record.