Flood in Alaska, July 27 to 29, 2003

Name: Flood in Alaska, July 27 to 29, 2003
Start: 2003-07-27T04:00
End: 2003-07-29T12:00
Location: Alaska

July 27 to 29, 2003 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Another strong storm moved into northwest Alaska bringing heavy rain into the interior and south central regions of the state. 45 inches over a day and a half period at the base of Ruth Glacier.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $50,000
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 happened

The episode as NWS AFC wrote it up.

Another strong storm moved into northwest Alaska bringing heavy rain into the interior and south central regions of the state. Rainfall amounts were reported at 7.45 inches over a day and a half period at the base of Ruth Glacier. Talkeetna reported 1.78 inches and Hatcher Pass reported 2.34 inches in a 24 hour period. This event occurred 11 days after a previous major flood event that occurred over the same region July 16-17. High freezing levels and extremely moist soil conditions contributed to the excessive runoff that lead to the rapid rise of many of the small streams in the Susitna Valley. Four inches of water was reported along the Parks Highway at Honolulu Creek. Some erosion is occurring at the approaches to the bridge across Honolulu Creek. Carlo Creek, 12 miles south of Denali park entrance, mile 223.9 of the Parks Highway, had one lane partially eroded away and crews are filling it back in. Susitna Landing had water in the parking lot and campground. Railroad tracks sustained washout damage near Curry, about 20 miles north of Talkeetna.

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 Jul 26, 9:00 PM AST, 7 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 26, 9:00 PM AST, 7 hours before

SOUTH/SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
1000 PM ADT SAT JUL 26 2003

ANALYSIS...MODELS ARE SIMILAR AND TREND REMAINS SAME. MAJOR
DRIVING MECHANISM IS BROAD ARCTIC UPPER LOW NEXT 2 DAYS. UPPER
SHORT WAVE MOVING RAPIDLY ACROSS NORTHERN AK WITH TRAILING TROF
ACROSS KUSKOKWIM PRODUCING RAIN THERE TODAY. DEFORMATION ZONE COOK
INLET/SUSITNA VALLEY TODAY WITH RESPITE FROM SIGNIFICANT RAIN.
COLD FRONT REMAINS NORTH OVER SEWARD PEN WITH SIGNIFICANT MOVEMENT
SOUTH BEGINNING TONIGHT..EXPECTED TO BE FROM ALONG KUSKOKWIM
MOUNTAINS NEAR MCGRATH TO NEAR NUNIVAK ISLAND AND WESTWARD 00Z MON
AND WILL HANG UP AND MODIFY SIGNIFICANTLY IN KUSKOKWIM VALLEY
THEREAFTER. RAIN WILL INTENSIFY BY EARLY SUN MORNING IN KUSKOKWIM
VALLEY AND CONTINUE SUN NIGHT PARTICULARLY ALONG THE ALASKA RANGE.

RAIN INCREASING NORTHERN COOK INLET/SUSITNA VALLEY SUN.

.AFC...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE
MARINE...NONE
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Susitna Valley

When: July 27, 4:00 AM AST to July 29, 12:00 PM AST
Where: Susitna Valley forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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: 5378664.