Flood, Deltana and Tanana
- When
- April 25, 7:15 PM AST to April 30, 11:59 PM AST
- Where
- Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
Flood in Alaska, April 25 to 30, 2003
Snowmelt and icemelt caused water to rise on the Tanana River and Piledriver Slough, and resulting in minor flooding of various properties beginning the night of the 25th. Ice buildup on roads and properties was created first by an Ice Jam event on the Tanana River during November 2002, and then surface water and groundwater flooding in early January 2003, resulting in up 2-foot thick layers of…
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- 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.
Snowmelt and icemelt caused water to rise on the Tanana River and Piledriver Slough, and resulting in minor flooding of various properties beginning the night of the 25th. Ice buildup on roads and properties was created first by an Ice Jam event on the Tanana River during November 2002, and then surface water and groundwater flooding in early January 2003, resulting in up 2-foot thick layers of ice on the Old Richardson Highway and on properties near the Piledriver slough. On April 29th, another ice jam formed on the nearest branch of the Tanana River, next to the partial one that had formed and remained since November. This caused water from the Tanana River to flow into Piledriver Slough. The water in Piledriver Slough then went overbank and flooded properties and some homes, threatening other homes. By late afternoon on the 29th, water continued to rise breaching a dike on the Tanana River and rapidly raising water levels in the area. Water continued to rise into the beginning of May, flooding about 100 homes in all and threatening another 50 homes. The Old Richardson Highway was impassible, which is the main road serving many of the residents in this subdivision. During the first few days of May water levels fluctuated, but homes remained flooded or surrounded by water. On the morning of May 3rd, the Ice Jam shifted and gradually moved downstream, and water levels began dropping significantly. By late afternoon on May 4, the water was completely contained inside the Tanana River, and Piledriver Slough had also dropped significantly. Many surrounding areas still had ponded water due to the high groundwater level. The Fairbanks North Star Borough Department of Emergency Services and Salcha Rescue activated an Incident Command Center in the area and helped those residents requesting evacuation. Property Damage is an estimate. Event continued into May.
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 Apr 25, 1:30 PM AST, 5 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 25, 1:30 PM AST, 5 hours 45 minutes before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION 230 PM ADT FRI APR 25 2003 UPPER LEVEL HIGH OVER WESTERN CANADA REMAINS THE DRIVING FEATURE FOR NORTHERN ALASKAN WEATHER...AND SHOULD BE SO THROUGH THE WEEKEND. LOW ALOFT OVER NORTHWEST BERING SEA WILL MOVE NORTH AND WEAKEN...ONLY TO BE REPLACED BY ANOTHER LOW SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS SECOND LOW IS FORECAST TO SURVIVE INTACT INTO THE CHUKCHI SEA BY MONDAY. THE NET RESULT WILL BE LITTLE OVERALL CHANGE IN THE UPPER FLOW OVER MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA FOR SOME DAYS TO COME. AT THE SURFACE...OLD OCCLUSION ALONG ABOUT 155W WILL DISSIPATE IN PLACE NEXT 18 HOURS. RIDGE BUILDING ALONG 160W BUILDING TO 1032 HIGH OVER THE EASTERN BROOKS RANGE WITH RIDGE SOUTHWEST INTO THE WESTERN GULF OF ALASKA. NEW 990 MB LOW 250 MILES NORTHEAST OF SHEMYA WILL BE A 997 LOW 150 MILES WEST OF ST MATTHEW ISLAND BY 4PM SAT. THE ASSOCIATED LOW WILL MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN BERING SAT NIGHT AND THEN INTO WESTERN ALASKA ON SUNDAY. MODELS TODAY QUITE SIMILAR IN THE SHORT RANGE...WITH BIG UPPER HIGH WEAKENING A BIT BUT HOLDING IN PLACE. SOME DIFFERENCES DEVELOP BY MONDAY AS AVN TRIES TO BREAK THROUGH MORE SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR THAN ETA. MID RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO HAVE TROUBLE...WITH SIGNIFICANT MODEL TO MODEL AND RUN TO RUN VARIATION. SEEMS BEST TO KEEP CONDITIONS NOT TOO FAR FROM PERSISTENCE. FOR THE NORTH SLOPE...LOW PRESSURE OVER CHUKOTKA AND CHUKCHI SEA WILL KEEP MARGINAL WIND ADVISORY FOR CAPE LISBURNE AND VICINITY. OTHERWISE NOT A LOT OF CHANGE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. FOR THE WEST COAST...INCOMING LOW WILL SPREAD ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW TO SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND LATE SATURDAY AND THEN TO THE MAINLAND SATURDAY NIGHT OR SUNDAY. NO ADVISORY LEVEL WEATHER EXPECTED WITH THIS. LITTLE CHANGE IN TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE WEEKEND. FOR THE INTERIOR...SLIGHT AIRMASS COOLING EAST OF 155W FORECAST BY ALL MODELS THROUGH THE WEEKEND...AND THIS IS PROBABLY OVERDONE A BIT. OLD FRONTAL BAND DISSIPATING WILL ALLOW FOR MORE SUNSHINE CENTRAL ZONES OVER THE WEEKEND. CONVECTION NOT AN ISSUE TO TO WARM AIRMASS ALOFT. NO PRECIP ANYTIME SOON. .AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY PUBLIC...NONE MARINE...GALES 14 AND 9B. SCA/BWA 9A...10B..11A. FIRE WEATHER...NONE RT APR 03
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 25, 6:30 PM AST, 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 730 PM ADT FRI APR 25 2003 AKZ222-251300- MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY INCLUDING FAIRBANKS - CHENA HOT SPRINGS ROAD - PARKS HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO NEAR NENANA - RICHARDSON HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO NEAR SALCHA - STEESE HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO SOURDOUGH - ELLIOTT HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO NEAR LIVENGOOD 730 PM ADT FRI APR 25 2003 ...RECORD HIGHS ACROSS INTERIOR AND EASTERN ALASKA... MAINLY CLEAR SKIES AND BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE CAUSED MANY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS TO FALL ACROSS THE TANANA AND YUKON VALLEYS FRIDAY. MANY LOCATIONS JUST BARELY TIED THE OLD RECORDS BUT A FEW SHATTERED OLDER RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES. HERE ARE THE LOCATIONS AND THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR APRIL 25. LOCATION HIGH OLD RECORD YEAR EAGLE...................70 64 1994 NORTHWAY................67 65 1983 TOK.....................69 66 1994 HEALY...................61 55 1991 LOCATIONS TYING RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR APRIL 25. LOCATION HIGH YEAR BETTLES.................54 1994 OTHER HIGH TEMPERATURES REPORTED TODAY AROUND THE INTERIOR AND EASTERN ALASKA WHICH DID NOT REPORT RECORD EVENTS. LOCATION HIGH TODAY RECORD YEAR FAIRBANKS AIRPORT.......62 69 1997 EIELSON AFB.............63 67 1967 NENANA..................62 MM MMMM DENALI PARK.............57 59 1994 WITH THE CONTINUED CLEAR SKIES AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING OVER THE INTERIOR...MORE HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS COULD FALL ON SATURDAY OVER MUCH OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR. RJ APR 03
Special weather statement, Apr 25, 7:05 PM AST, 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 805 PM ADT SAT APR 25 2003 AKZ222-251300- MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY INCLUDING FAIRBANKS - CHENA HOT SPRINGS ROAD - PARKS HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO NEAR NENANA - RICHARDSON HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO NEAR SALCHA - STEESE HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO SOURDOUGH - ELLIOTT HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO NEAR LIVENGOOD 805 PM ADT SAT APR 25 2003 ...MORE RECORDS FALL ACROSS THE INTERIOR... MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND HIGH PRESSURE BROUGHT WARM TEMPERATURES TO MUCH OF THE INTERIOR TODAY. SEVERAL HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE EXCEEDED OR TIED ACROSS THE TANANA VALLEY. STATIONS SETTING NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR APRIL 26. LOCATION HIGH SATURDAY OLD RECORD/YEAR BIG DELTA...............68 66 1958 EIELSON AFB.............70 68 1994 TOK.....................73 67 1989 NORTHWAY................70 69 1989 HEALY...................70 (ALLTIME APRIL RECORD) 56 1980 DENALI PARK.............64 61 1980 LOCATIONS WHICH TIED THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR APRIL 26. TANANA..................63 63 1958 THE HIGH TEMPERATURE REPORTED IN THE STATE SATURDAY WAS 76 DEGREES AT SKAGWAY AT THE NORTHERN END OF THE LYNN CANAL IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA. OTHER LOCATIONS IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA AS WELL AS THE COPPER RIVER BASIN AND THE SUSITNA VALLEY ALSO EQUALED OR EXCEEDED HIGH TEMPERATURES SATURDAY AFTERNOON. AS THE HIGH PRESSURE AREA REMAINS IN PLACE OVER THE ALASKA YUKON BORDER MORE WARM TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY ON SUNDAY. RJ APR 03
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
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, April 25, 2003
- Tornado and Hail in Alabama, April 25, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, April 25, 2003
- Hail in Alabama, April 25, 2003
- Hail in Mississippi, April 25, 2003
- Tornado in Alabama, April 25, 2003
- Tornado in Florida, April 25, 2003
- Hail in Alabama, April 25, 2003
- Tornadoes in Alabama, April 25, 2003
- Strong Wind in Alabama, April 25, 2003
- Tornado in Florida, April 25, 2003
- Damaging Wind in Florida, April 25, 2003
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2003
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: 5350461.