Flood — Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula, Alaska

2023-05-16 to 2023-05-19 · near Buckland, Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula, Alaska

Event narrative

Moderate flooding occurred in Buckland due to several ice jams on the Buckland River from May 17th to 19th. An ice jam located approximately 1 mile upriver from the community resulted in significant out-of-bank flow that was eventually routed around the jam and into the community of Buckland. Several additional jams were located on nearly all subsequent bends of the Buckland River downstream of Buckland. Backwater from these jams was also adding to the inundation of the community and surrounding tundra. Approximately 80% of the community was inundated with water, with water under or surrounding most structures; most roads were inundated and residents had to travel around town in boats; the road to the airport was only passable by boat. On May 19th, the Riverwatch team was informed by a trained spotter in Buckland that the upstream jam had been released, as did the downstream jams, and water was receding quickly and the community was no longer flooding.

Wider weather episode

A prolonged period of well-below-average spring temperatures combined with an above-average winter snowpack created a dynamic breakup of the Buckland River. This resulted in numerous ice jams. April temperatures were well below normal, and when temperatures began to warm in early May, it melted the low-elevation snowpack quickly. Because of the relatively quick addition of snowmelt onto strong ice, the ice was more susceptible to jamming and floods.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (65.9825, -161.1363)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1102006. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.