Alaska, 2002

Flood in Alaska, November 23 to 25, 2002

November 23 to 25, 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
$100,000
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 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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 23, 2:00 AM AST, 8 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 23, 2:00 AM AST, 8 hours before
SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
900 PM AST FRI NOV 22 2002

ANALYSIS...BIG STORM JUST SOUTH OF KODIAK ISLAND IS STILL COMING
OUR WAY.

FORECASTS...A SOUTHERLY JET STREAM OVER THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC
OCEAN WILL MOVE INTO THE WESTERN GULF OF ALASKA TONIGHT AND INTO
THE KENAI PENINSULA SATURDAY. THE JET WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH
BUT WILL ALSO SHIFT EASTWARD INTO THE CENTRAL GULF COAST, COPPER
RIVER BASIN AND THE EASTERN TANANA VALLEY SATURDAY NIGHT AND WILL
MOVE INTO THE YUKON TERRITORY SUNDAY.

A LOT OF WARM MOIST AIR IS BEING TRANSPORTED NORTHWARD WITH THE
JET STREAM AND WE ARE EXPECTING AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN TO FALL ALONG
SOUTHERN KENAI PENINSULA SATURDAY AND OVER PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND
SATURDAY NIGHT.

STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THROUGH THE PASSES IN THE
KENAI PENINSULA, ALONG TURNAGAIN ARM AND IN THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
TONIGHT AND SATURDAY.

A 976 MB LOW 250 MILES SOUTH OF KODIAK ISLAND WILL MOVE NORTHWEST
TO 50 MILES NORTHWEST OF HOOPER BAY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO
THE CHUKCHI SEA AND WEAKEN TO 991 MB SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE FRONT
WILL WILL MOVE THROUGH KODIAK ISLAND TONIGHT AND WILL RAPIDLY
THROUGH SOUTHWEST ALASKA AND WILL LIE OVER THE SEWARD PENINSULA,
NORTHERN KUSKOKWIM VALLEY, NEAR ANCHORAGE AND SOUTHEASTWARD
SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THE FRONT WILL SHIFT NORTH AND EAST TO LIE
ACROSS THE ARCTIC SLOPE AND ALONG THE ALCAN BORDER SATURDAY NIGHT
AND WILL DISSIPATE OVER THE BEAUFORT SEA AND YUKON TERRITORY
SUNDAY.

A 968 MB LOW SOUTH OF THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS WILL EAST TO ABOUT
500 MILES SOUTH OF NIKOLSKI AND WEAKEN TO 976 MB SUNDAY. THE
FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALEUTIANS SATURDAY
NIGHT AND SUNDAY.

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE ANCHORAGE HILLSIDE AND
TURNAGAIN ARM. HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS WEST
OF KISKA.
MARINE...STORM 2B..3A..4..13.
         GALE 2C..3C..5A..12AB.

NM NOV 02

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Kenai Peninsula

When
November 23, 10:00 AM AST to November 25, 10:00 AM AST
Where
Kenai Peninsula forecast zone
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

Heavy rains again brought river levels up above flood stage on the Anchor River, which crested close to 8 feet on November 23. Access to Homer was cut off for at least several hours. Storm total rainfall ranged from 2 to 4.5 inches in the greater Homer area. Mud slides were also reported along East End Road.Due to the October flood (22 and 23), the channel in the Anchor River had changed, rendering stage level action points uncertain. Gauge was destroyed around 3 am November 24.Reports from the State Troopers suggested water over the Sterling Highway between mile 160.5 and 162. High water eroded the northwestern approach to the bridge. There was also flooding reported on the Old Sterling Highway. No feedback was received regarding streams further north.

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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5319168.