Typhoon Halong’s remnants devastate Native Alaskan communities

TL/DR –

The remnants of Typhoon Halong caused a devastating storm surge in two remote Alaskan towns, leaving one dead, two missing, and over 1,500 people displaced. The storm surge at Kipnuk reached 6.6 feet, two feet above the previous record, flooding many structures and displacing residents, who sought shelter in school shelters and the larger city of Bethel. The storm was a result of Halong weakening and being caught in an upper-level jet curving around an intense upper low in the Bering Sea, which, combined with unusually warm sea surface temperatures, caused the typhoon’s remnants to re-strengthen.

Alaskan Communities Struggle with Aftermath of Typhoon Halong

The remnants of Typhoon Halong have led to widespread devastation in two remote Native Alaskan towns located in the far southwest part of the state. Following a storm surge on October 12, which was worsened by strong onshore winds, over 1,500 people have been displaced. The majority of those affected reside in the towns of Kipnuk, with a population of 715, and Kwigillingok, which has a population of 380, according to the Associated Press. A total of 49 communities were reportedly impacted by the storm.

Storm Surge Causes Deaths and Displacement

The New York Times reported at least one fatality and two missing individuals from Kwigillingok. Most of the region’s cellphone service was lost due to the storm, making communication difficult. Since there is no road access from other parts of Alaska, residents had to seek shelter where possible, with some being flown to Bethel, a larger city, and others taking refuge in school shelters.

The storm surge in Kipnuk reached heights of 6.6 feet above the typical highest daily tide, breaking the previous record set in November 2000 by almost two feet. This flood level led to extensive water damage in many of Kipnuk’s structures.

The Extent of the Damage

U.S. Coast Guard Captain Christopher Culpepper described the situation in a press conference covered by Alaska Public Media as dire, stating that several villages were “completely devastated, absolutely flooded, several feet deep….This took homes off of foundations. This took people into peril, where folks were swimming, floating, trying to find debris to hold onto in the cover of darkness.”

Mark Roberts, the head of Alaska’s state emergency management center, also commented on the tragic situation of residents whose homes were floating with no knowledge of their location.

Typhoon Halong’s Track and Intensity

Before reaching the Alaskan coast, Halong was a powerful typhoon that peaked south of Japan on October 8 as the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. However, it weakened quickly, with its winds down to Category 1 strength by October 9. The system was declared post-tropical by October 10.

An upper-level jet, influenced by an intense upper low in the western Bering Sea, caught the remnants of Halong and shifted them in a large loop, first eastward and then northward. The system reached the Bering Sea by October 12 and made landfall near Nome with a central pressure of around 964 millibars (hPa). The upper low’s dynamical influence and unusually warm sea surface temperatures over the far North Pacific helped the remnants of Halong to regain strength.

Predicted vs Actual Course of the Typhoon

Weather forecasting models had initially predicted the post-Halong cyclone to follow a track significantly further from the Alaskan coast. However, the actual path and intensity of the storm weren’t clear until less than 36 hours before its impacts, which didn’t give many areas enough time to evacuate, according to Alaskan weather expert Rick Thoman. Thoman also suggested that a reduction in weather balloon launches over much of the region due to budget cuts could have affected the forecast quality.

Alaska Storm and Flood Risks

The coastal Native Alaskan communities of southwest Alaska, particularly Kipnuk, have been recognized as being at increasing risk for storm surge damage. A state report in September 2024 from Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources titled “Coastal Flood Impact Assessment for Kipnuk, Alaska” indicates that the area has experienced at least 30 flood incidents since 1979, including storm surges, ice jam floods, and snowmelt floods.

Given the recent devastating impacts of this storm surge, work to strengthen Kipnuk’s flood defenses was due to begin this summer. The funds for these improvements were part of a $20 million grant from the EPA’s Community Change Grants program through the Environmental and Climate Justice Program. However, the New York Times reported that the EPA rescinded this grant in May.

2025’s Tropical Cyclone Impacts

So far, 2025 has been a relatively quiet year for U.S. tropical cyclone impacts, with the Alaskan disaster being the second catastrophe related to the remnants of a tropical cyclone. The first was the devastating flooding in central Texas around July 4, which resulted in around 140 deaths. The heavy rains that caused these floods were connected to the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry.

Only one tropical storm has made a U.S. landfall this year, Tropical Storm Chantal, which hit northeastern South Carolina on July 6. Chantal caused flooding that resulted in three deaths and $500 million in damages. There is less than a 15% chance of further significant Atlantic hurricane activity after October 15.

READ: How to help residents and communities after catastrophic Western Alaska storm (Anchorage Daily News)

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