Examining the relationship of El Niño to weather patterns in Alaska shows wide climate variances that depend on the teleconnection between the tropics and the northern latitudes. However, the weather patterns exhibited in Alaska during and just after moderate to strong El Niño episodes are generally consistent: above normal temperature and precipitation along the Alaskan coast, and above normal temperature and below normal precipitation in the interior, especially through the winter. The warm, dry conditions in the Alaskan interior increase summer wildfire potential. Statistics on the area burned since 1940 show that 15 out of 17 of the biggest fire years occurred during a moderate to strong El Niño episode. These 15 years account for nearly 63% of the total area burned over the last 58 years. Evidence points to increased dry thunderstorms and associated lightning activity during an El Niño episode; the percentage of total area burned by lightning caused fires during five episodes increased from a normal of less than 40% to a high of about 96%.

The NOAA Emergency Response Division (ERD aka Hazmat) provides a complete set of scientific assistance and support to the U.S. Coast Guard in response to an offshore oil spill. Historically NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) has provided the operational weather support component for ERD in the form of forecasts and observations. The dearth of conventional weather data in remote locations provide unique challenges for providing weather support for Hazmat events in locations such as the Aleutian Island Chain of Alaska. Weather support for Hazmat events in Alaska are further complicated during the storm season from October through March due to the frequency and intensity of storms in Alaska combined with the vast distances to reach the scene. Such was the case when the M/V Selendang Ayu grounded on Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Islands, 800 miles southwest of Anchorage, within the AOR of NWS Weather Forecast Office Anchorage. Unalaska Island has a handful of permanent observational platforms, all in the vicinity of Dutch Harbor. However, the M/V Selendang Ayu was foundering on the west side of the island, in a different meteorological and oceanographic regime. WFO Anchorage developed a plan that included siting a land-based weather station near the wreck, a specialized processing of Synthetic Aperture Radar Satellite (SARSat) passes, and a Selendang Ayu event web portal populated with tailored products for the event within 24 hours. Given the significance of the event within a highly vulnerable ecosystem, one of the first actions that the ERD Alaska Scientific Support Coordinator initiated was to exercise an agreement with the NWS to bring their Incident Meteorologist on scene as part of the NOAA Scientific Support Team. The NWS response was immediate and effective. Within a week the first Incident Meteorologist (IM) was on scene providing regional and localized weather reviews and forecasts for the IC Post as well as weather briefings on request for helo pilots and boat skippers. On scene IM support continued for the next two months. Weather support through the spring and summer was provided via phone and web by the Anchorage Forecast Office.