Flood in Alaska, July 17 to 19, 2003

Name: Flood in Alaska, July 17 to 19, 2003
Start: 2003-07-17T17:00
End: 2003-07-19T15:00
Location: Alaska

July 17 to 19, 2003 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Tanana River flooded in the Piledriver Slough area of Salcha. Warm temperatures a number of days before created high runoff from Alaska Range streams feeding the Tanana River.

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.

The Tanana River flooded in the Piledriver Slough area of Salcha. Warm temperatures a number of days before created high runoff from Alaska Range streams feeding the Tanana River. Also, some rain fell in the area to add to the river level rise. Flooding occurred from both from overflow from the Tanana River into Piledriver slough, as well as groundwater flooding in this same area due to high water levels on the Tanana River. Water entered the basements of several residences, and water overflowed Piledriver slough resulting in cutting off access to several homes as their driveways which crossed Piledriver Slough were washed out. One street, named Ingrid Drive, also was washed out. Tanana River water began to recede early on the 19th. Damage amounts unknown.

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 Jul 17, 1:30 PM AST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 17, 1:30 PM AST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM ADT THU JUL 17 2003

COLD UPPER LOW THAT HAS BROUGHT COLD AND SNOW TO PARTS OF THE
INTERIOR AND BROOKS RANGE IS NOW RAPIDLY PULLING NORTHEAST AND
WILL BE OUT OF THE AREA BY LATE TONIGHT. ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT
STRUNG OUT ALONG THE ALASKA RANGE TO TOK AND NORTHEASTWARD. HIGH
PRESSURE ALOFT BUILDING BUT NORTH SLOPE WILL REMAIN ON THE
SOUTHERN EDGE OF POLAR JET.

AT THE SURFACE...RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE FROM THE THE NORTHERN
BERING SEA EASTWARD INTO THE CENTRAL INTERIOR. 986 MB LOW 100
MILES SOUTHEAST OF COLD BAY WILL REMAIN SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIANS
BUT SLING AN OLD FRONT INTO THE SOUTHERN BERING SEA ON FRIDAY.
A COLD FRONT FROM A HIGH ARCTIC LOW WILL APPROACH THE
WESTERN ARCTIC COAST LATE SUNDAY OR MONDAY.

NORTH SLOPE...BREEZY WEST WINDS FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
TEMPERATURES MODERATING...ESPECIALLY INLAND AND BEAUFORT SEA
COAST.

FOR THE WEST COAST...CONSIDERABLE WARM AIR FROM SIBERIA WILL MOVE
EASTWARD OVER THE TOP OF THE BERING SEA HIGH...WITH THE THREAT
OF STRATUS AND FOG INCREASING OVER THE CHUKCHI SEA. SOUTHERNMOST
ZONES WILL BE BRUSHED BY RAIN FROM NORTH PACIFIC SYSTEM NEXT
24 HOURS.

FOR THE INTERIOR...LAST REMAINS OF PRECIPITATION ENDING NEXT
8 HOURS WITH RAPID IMPROVEMENT AS RIDE BUILDS. INSTABILITY
RETURNING TO SOUTHEAST CORNER SATURDAY AND SLOWLY SPREADING
NORTHWESTWARD THEREAFTER. TEMPERATURES REBOUNDING QUICKLY.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE
MARINE...14...ERN 9B.
FIRE WEATHER...NONE
HYDRO...RIVER FLOOD WATCH TANANA RIVER FAIRBANKS TO DELTA.

RT JUL 03

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Deltana and Tanana

When: July 17, 5:00 PM AST to July 19, 3:00 PM 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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, July 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: 5379072.