Flood — Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands, Alaska

2023-05-31 · near Central, Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands, Alaska

Event narrative

Heavy rain on snow caused Crooked Creek in Central to rise overbank and flood portions of the community. The public reported flood waters up to the doors of the Central Museum, into the parking lot of the local store, and up to 6 inches deep over the Steese Highway in Central. Residents put sandbags around the Central Museum but water still seeped in through the back door and got the carpet and floor wet. Floodwaters crested Thursday afternoon May 31st and flooding ended by Friday morning Jun 1st.

Wider weather episode

A weather front brought from 1 to 2 inches of rain to the headwaters of Birch Creek and Crooked Creek. The rain fell on a residual winter snowpack and resulted in significant runoff due to the combination of rapid snowmelt and the heavy rainfall. This caused high water and flooding along rivers and streams draining the region including Crooked Creek and Birch Creek which impacted the community of Central and portions of the Steese Highway. Flooding continued into early June.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (65.5747, -144.8078)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1162126. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.