Flood in Alaska, November 19 to 20, 2002

Name: Flood in Alaska, November 19 to 20, 2002
Start: 2002-11-19T14:05
End: 2002-11-20T06:00
Location: Alaska

November 19 to 20, 2002 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 AFG wrote it up.

An ice jam formed on a channel of the Tanana River in the Salcha Area just downstream from the former location of the Boondox Bar and just downstream of the upper outlet of the Piledriver Slough. Water began rising overnight November 18-19 and had completed surrounded one home in the old Boondox area by early afternoon on the 19th. During the middle afternoon of the 19th, water from the Tanana got quickly diverted into Piledriver Slough, overflowing and covering the driveways across the slough. Damage: At least one home surrounded, though water did not enter it's basement. Driveways crossing the upstream portion of Piledriver slough were covered with water; a few were impassable during the event.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 19, 8:56 AM AST, 5 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 19, 8:56 AM AST, 5 hours 9 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
400 AM AST TUE NOV 19 2002

VISIBILITIES FROM SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND WERE UNAVAILABLE OVERNIGHT.
LATE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON THE VISIBILITY WENT TO ONE-HALF MILE AT
GAMBELL BEFORE THE AUTOMATED VISIBILITY DETECTOR WENT OUT OF SERVICE.
THE NOME WEATHER OFFICE WILL MAKE A CALL FIRST THING THIS MORNING TO
GET SOME GROUND TRUTH CONCERNING THE WEATHER ON THE ISLAND. WINDS
CONTINUE STRONG WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO 47 KNOTS.

IN ADDITION TO THE STRONG WINDS OVER SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND, WIND REPORTS
FROM POINT HOPE, CAPE LISBURNE, AND TIN CITY CONTINUE QUITE STRONG.
MODELS AGREE WITH A GRADUAL FILLING OF LOW PRESSURE, WHICH WAS
30 MILES EAST OF SAND POINT AT 300 AM THIS MORNING. A GRADUAL REDUCTION
OF WIND SPEED SHOULD BE IN STORE TODAY AND TONIGHT.

WINDS AT GOLOVIN KICKED UP TO 39 KNOTS LAST NIGHT. WIND ADVISORIES
WERE ISSUED FOR SEVERAL ZONES OVER THE WEST. THESE ADVISORIES WERE
SET TO BE IN EFFECT THROUGH MORNING HOURS.

THE ARCTIC FRONT IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN STATIONARY AND SOUTH OF THE
ALASKA RANGE FROM NEAR CAPE NEWENHAM TO CANADA. SURFACE ANALYSIS
REVEALED AN OCCLUDED FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE LOW NEAR SAND POINT TO
THE ALASKA RANGE AND EAST INTO CANADA. SATELLITE IMAGERY DOES SHOW A
BAND OF HIGH REFLECTIVITY EXTENDING ALONG THE OCCLUDED FRONT AND
OVERRIDDING THE ARCTIC AIRMASS BELOW, BUT VERY LITTLE PRECIPITATION
HAS BEEN REPORTED. BETHEL RADAR WAS SHOWING RETURNS BUT WITH NO
PRECIPITATION REACHING THE GROUND. THE PRECIPITABLE WATER ON THE
12 UTC SOUNDING FROM BETHEL WAS ONLY 0.35 INCH. THE SOUNDING FROM
ANCHORAGE REPORTED 0.30 INCH. THUS, ONLY A LITTLE IF ANY SNOW WILL
MAKE IT NORTH OF THE RANGE.

NOT MUCH OUT OF THE ORDINARY FOR NORTH ARCTIC COAST. MAINLY FLURRIES.

LOOKING OUT TO THE UPCOMING WEEKEND, THE ECMF AND AVN NOW AGREE WITH
LOW PRESSURE MOVING NORTH OVER THE INTERIOR. THE TRAJECTORY AT THIS
TIME SUGGESTS CHINOOK FLOW.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY

.PUBLIC...NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS IN EFFECT AT THIS TIME.

.MARINE...
GALE WARNINGS FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 9B, SLEDGE ISLAND TO WALES AND THE SAINT LAWRENCE
        ISLAND WATERS.
    AREA 10B, WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE.

HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 9A, NORTON SOUND FROM SLEDGE
        ISLAND TO NUNAKTUK ISLAND.
    AREA 9B, DALL POINT TO WALES INCLUDING
        THE SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND WATERS.
    AREA 10B, WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
    AREA 14, SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND WATERS.
    AREA 9A, NORTON SOUND FROM SLEDGE ISLAND TO
        NUNAKTUK ISLAND.
    AREA 9A, DALL POINT TO SLEDGE ISLAND.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY AREA 11A, CAPE LISBURNE TO ICY CAPE.

DA NOV 02

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Deltana and Tanana

When: November 19, 2:05 PM AST to November 20, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

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, November 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: 5322434.