Flood — Lower Kuskokwim Valley, Alaska

2018-05-05 to 2018-05-08 · near Aniak, Lower Kuskokwim Valley, Alaska

Event narrative

As the spring river ice breakup front moved downstream on the Kuskokwim River, an ice jam formed near Birch Crossing, downstream of Aniak. Water levels rose steadily in Aniak and began to flood the low-lying areas of town with up to 6 ft depths of water. The most significantly impacted areas were the gravel pit outside of town, and the barge landing downstream of the main town. Eventually the ice jam released and water levels steadily dropped.

Wider weather episode

The spring breakup of the river ice on the Kuskokwim River resulted in several ice jams along the river that impacted multiple communities.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (61.6153, -159.5996)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 751779. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.