Flood, Copper River Basin
- When
- April 23, 12:00 AM AST to May 16, 11:59 PM AST
- Where
- Copper River Basin forecast zone
- Property damage
- $25,000
Flood in Alaska, April 23 to May 16, 1997
An ice jam formed near the mouth of the Gakona river at the Glenn Highway bridge at the end of April. however minor flooding of property actually did not begin until April 28th.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS AFC wrote it up.
An ice jam formed near the mouth of the Gakona river at the Glenn Highway bridge at the end of April. Overflow problems were reported as early as April 23rd...however minor flooding of property actually did not begin until April 28th. Snowmelt...enhanced by warm weather...continued to keep water levels high...flooding a dozen basements and one garage. Dynamiting from about May 13th through May 15th had a positive effect...as did cooler temperatures. Reduced water levels were noted May 15th. Flooding finally began to subside Friday, May 16th.
Event by event
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Florida, April 23, 1997
- Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, April 23, 1997
- Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, April 23, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, April 23, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Florida, April 23, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, April 23, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, April 23, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Florida, April 23, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Florida, April 23, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, April 23, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Florida, April 23, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Florida, April 23, 1997
More
Every storm in Alaska in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5620798.