Flood in Susitna Valley, Alaska

A strong storm in the north Pacific moved into the eastern Bering Sea Monday October 8th. This storm produced strong wind along and in advance of a strong weather front associated with the storm. Strong northwest wind occurred around the west side of this storm in the Eastern Aleutians. This storm had a strong tropical connection that pushed copious amounts of rain into the Prince William Sound area, Cook Inlet, the Susitna Valley, and the Copper River Basin. Along with the extremely heavy rainfall, very warm air resulted in excessive snow melt that contributed to the flooding. Flooding along the Richardson Highway resulted in road wash outs through Keystone Canyon and also in the Copper River Basin at Squirrel Creek and at the Tonsina Lodge. Flooding also occurred in Cordova and Seward resulting in road wash outs in both those communities.