Flood — Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands, Alaska

2003-09-01 to 2003-09-04 · Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands, Alaska

Wider weather episode

Rainfall of one to three inches over the Yukon-Tanana Uplands and greater Faribanks Area caused rivers to flood in a few areas:Zone 222:The Upper Chena River at mile 37 Chena Hot Springs Road exceeded flood stage with one foot of water on the road on the 2nd. For the Upper Chena River between Chena Hot Springs Road and the Moose Creek Dam, flooding occurred on the morning of the 4th until the afternoon of the 5th. The flood waters were impounded behind the Moose Creek Dam for a while, being released gradually so that Downtown Fairbanks would not experience flooding. The impounding of the water created groundwater flooding of the Steamboat Landing subdivision in North Pole downstream from the Dam, until the morning of the 8th. Zone 223:The Salcha River at the Richardson Highway Bridge crested one foot above flood stage early on the morning of the 4th, and was below flood stage by noon that day; flooding occurred at the boat launch at the Richardson Highway bridge, along with large amounts of debris being flushed down the riverZone 224: Several cabin owners on the upper Salcha River reported water around numerous structuresThe flooding coincided with the opening of moose hunting season and a time when rivers are heavily used by hunters accessing remote areas. The Alaska State Troopers reported several incidences where stranded hunters were plucked from the banks of area rivers. Rescues occurred on the Upper Chena River (zone 222), Birch Creek (zone 220), and on the Yukon River (zone 220). Some vehicles were also flooded on the lower Chatanika (zone 222) as unsuspecting hunters parked close to the rivers edge prior to the rise in water level.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5336856. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.