Flood in Alaska, May 15 to 16, 2002

Name: Flood in Alaska, May 15 to 16, 2002
Start: 2002-05-15T13:00
End: 2002-05-16T14:00
Location: Alaska

May 15 to 16, 2002 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $300,000
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.

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Susitna Valley

When: May 15, 1:00 PM AST to May 16, 2:00 PM AST
Where: Susitna Valley forecast zone
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Ice jammed up on the Talkeetna River just upstream from the Susitna River confluence. This caused localized flooding which washed out some sections of the ballast and shoved the track out of alignment.According to Alaska Railroad personnel, "This was the railroad's most significant damage due to flooding in more than a decade". Rail traffic was suspended between Anchorage and Fairbanks during the flood event for nearly 2 days. Two passenger trains were canceled, including the first run of the season for the "Denail Star".

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

Every storm in Alaska in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, May 2002

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: 5296613.