Flood — Susitna Valley, Alaska

2018-05-11 to 2018-05-14 · near Talkeetna, Susitna Valley, Alaska

Event narrative

Workers with the Alaska Railroad Corporation discovered a 5 mile section of track flooded and covered with chunks of ice after an ice jam caused a 8-10 ft vertical water level rise between Talkeetna and Curry, on the Susitna River. Significant sections of track were damaged and moved horizontally by as much as 25 ft. At the same time, significant areas of erosion/damage to the railroad bed itself also occurred which had to be rebuilt. Rail service was disrupted for several days.

Wider weather episode

Ice Jams formed along the Susitna River during the spring breakup, which resulted in flooding along the river northeast of Talkeetna.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (62.5634, -150.0749)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 751691. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.