Flood — Denali, Alaska

2019-08-02 to 2019-08-08 · near Healy, Denali, Alaska

Event narrative

Up to 10 inches of rain fell in Denali National Park the first 8 days of Aug 2019. Saturated soils in steep terrain resulted in multiple mudslides that impacted the Denali Park Road. A larger slide on Aug 4th closed the road at MP48 for several hours. Due to the excessive rainfall and rock/mudslides, the NPS took preventative measures and closed the road beyond MP30 Teklanika Rest Area until conditions improved.

Saturated soils combined with over 4 inches of rain the first week of August in Healy caused Dry Creek to rise overbank on Aug 6-7th and resulted in flooding. The flooding washed out several roads, driveways, and the approach to the Tipple Bridge which is used to access infrastructure at the Usibelli Coal Mine.

Wider weather episode

A series of weather fronts associated with an an atmospheric river moved into the Bering Sea and across Interior Alaska during the first week of August. Rainfall totals between Aug 1-8th ranged from 5 to 10 inches across the Alaska Range. This resulted in mudslides and flooding that impacted Denali National Park and the community of Healy.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (63.8579, -149.0527)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 852462. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.