Flood in Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile, Alaska

An area of low pressure moved out of the Gulf of Alaska and into the eastern interior of Alaska on August 6th. The low stalled out near the Alaska-Yukon border north of Eagle and produced heavy rainfall across parts of the Fortymile River Basin as well as American Creek. One and one half to two and one half inches of rain fell during a 24 hour period from Chicken northward to Eagle. The National Weather Service observer at O'Brien Creek recorded a peak stage of 71.3 feet, which tied the record stage set back on July 11th, 2010. It is likely that American Creek, which is located just to the north and parallels the Taylor Highway, experienced a similar record peak stage. The heavy rain fell north of the southern portion of the Fortymile basin, and the main stem of the Fortymile River at the Taylor Highway crested about 11 feet below the record stage of July 12th. The heavy rainfall produced numerous rock slides and washouts north of Chicken.