Flooding in Alaska, September 1 to 8, 2003

Name: Flooding in Alaska, September 1 to 8, 2003
Start: 2003-09-01T16:15
End: 2003-09-08T11:00
Location: Alaska

September 1 to 8, 2003 · NWS AFG · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

Rainfall of one to three inches over the Yukon-Tanana Uplands and greater Faribanks Area caused rivers to flood in a few areas:Zone 222:The Upper Chena River at mile 37 Chena Hot Springs Road exceeded flood stage with one foot of water on the road on the 2nd. For the Upper Chena River between Chena Hot Springs Road and the Moose Creek Dam, flooding occurred on the morning of the 4th until the afternoon of the 5th. The flood waters were impounded behind the Moose Creek Dam for a while, being released gradually so that Downtown Fairbanks would not experience flooding. The impounding of the water created groundwater flooding of the Steamboat Landing subdivision in North Pole downstream from the Dam, until the morning of the 8th. Zone 223:The Salcha River at the Richardson Highway Bridge crested one foot above flood stage early on the morning of the 4th, and was below flood stage by noon that day; flooding occurred at the boat launch at the Richardson Highway bridge, along with large amounts of debris being flushed down the riverZone 224: Several cabin owners on the upper Salcha River reported water around numerous structuresThe flooding coincided with the opening of moose hunting season and a time when rivers are heavily used by hunters accessing remote areas. The Alaska State Troopers reported several incidences where stranded hunters were plucked from the banks of area rivers. Rescues occurred on the Upper Chena River (zone 222), Birch Creek (zone 220), and on the Yukon River (zone 220). Some vehicles were also flooded on the lower Chatanika (zone 222) as unsuspecting hunters parked close to the rivers edge prior to the rise in water level.

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 Sep 1, 1:30 PM AST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 1, 1:30 PM AST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM ADT MON SEP 1 2003

AT THE SURFACE...1007 MB LOW OVER THE YUKON FLATS WITH 988 MB LOW
OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OF ALASKA WORKING AGAINST 1023 MB HIGH NEAR
WRANGEL ISLAND...AND MAINTAINING  OLD OCCLUSION WRAPS AROUND YUKON
LOW...EXTENDING FROM INDIAN MOUNTAIN...ACROSS BROOKS RANGE...TO
OLD CROW. GULF OF ALASKA OCCLUSION HAS REACHED SOUTHEAST PANHANDLE
WITH TRIPLE POINT NEAR DIXON ENTRANCE. AN ARCTIC BOUNDARY EXTENDS
NORTHEASTWARD FROM NUNIVAK ISLAND TO KOYUK..HUSLIA...AND ACROSS
THE BROOKS RANGE CREST INTO CANADA.  SET-UP IN EASTERN INTERIOR
HAS PRODUCED 24-HOUR PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF AN INCH
ALONG A FAIRBANKS TO EAGLE AXIS...AND SMALL STREAM ADVISORIES WILL
BE SLOW TO COME DOWN OVER THE NEXT 36 HOURS.

ALOFT...TRIPLE LOW CENTERS AT 500 MB...ONE OVER SAINT LAWRENCE
ISLAND...A SECOND OVER CENTRAL YUKON TERRITORY AND THIRD IN THE
NORTHERN GULF OF ALASKA. WEAK GRADIENTS IN BETWEEN FOR LOW FLOW
AND VERY WEAK DYNAMICS. BUT LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT...AND WEAK
SHORTWAVES PROVIDING LIFT AGAINST PRECIPITABLE WATERS APPROACHING
AN INCH IN FAIRBANKS...AND POINT-7 INCH FOR KOTZEBUE AND
NOME...WILL KEEP PRECIPITATION IN THE PICTURE OVER MOST OF THE
STATE THROUGH THE HEART OF THE WEEK.

MODELS...IN GENERAL AGREEMENT ON BASIC STORY THROUGH MIDWEEK.
THREE LOW CENTERS ALOFT WILL MERGE AND LIFT SLOWLY NORTHWARD.
TROUGH ALOFT WILL LIE FROM SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND TO ARCTIC VILLAGE
TUESDAY...AND FROM NORTON SOUND TO PRUDHOE BAY WEDNESDAY.
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BECOME ESTABLISHED OVER THE SOUTHEAST
INTERIOR TUESDAY NIGHT...AND BROADLY SOUTH OF A NOME TO BARTER
ISLAND LINE BY WEDNESDAY...TO MAINTAIN A CLOUDY SHOWERY PATTERN
FOR THE NEAR TERM OVER MOST ALL OF NORTHERN ALASKA. WILL LEAN TO
ETA FOR DETAILS...ALTHOUGH ETA IS COMING IN WETTER THAN AVN AND
NGM COUSINS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS FOR LAST COUPLE OF DAYS HAVE BEEN
SOMEWHAT UNDERDONE...SO WILL ATTEMPT TO BRING THIS BACK IN LINE
THIS ROUND.

NORTH SLOPE...TROUGH LIFTING NORTHWARD WILL FLIP NORTHEASTERLY
WINDS TO SOUTHWESTERLY AS THE TROUGH MOVES INTO THE ARCTIC AND
BEAUFORT SEAS. PATTERN WILL PRODUCE CONTINUED ROUNDS OF DRIZZLE
AND FOG ON TUESDAY...WITH MORE SHOWERY CONDITIONS ON TAP FOR
WEDNESDAY. OVER THE HIGHER PEAKS OF THE BROOKS RANGE...WILL KEEP
INCH OR TWO CALL FOR SNOW. EXPECTING WINDS TO REMAIN AT ADVISORY
LEVELS AT CAPE LISBURNE THROUGH TUESDAY BEFORE TROUGH MOVES
THROUGH AND CALMS THINGS DOWN. LITTLE TEMPERATURE CHANGE FOR THE
NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ARCTIC MARINERS...EXPECTING ADVISORY WINDS TO
EASE ON TUESDAY AT CAPE LISBURNE AS WINDS START BACKING AROUND TO
THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE WEEK. WIND SPEEDS COULD BE BACK TO SMALL
CRAFT LEVELS BY THE END OF THE WEEK.

WEST COAST...BROAD TROUGH ALOFT OVER NORTON SOUND WILL SHIFT TO
THE SEWARD PENINSULA BY WEDNESDAY...BUT MAINTAIN VERY CLOUDY
PATTERN FOR THE TIME BEING. SHOWERY PRECIPITATION TONIGHT WILL
INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AS SOUTHWEST FLOW BUILDS IN
SOUTH OF THE TROUGH AXIS AND FORECAST WORDING WILL CHANGE FROM
SHOWERS TO RAIN...AND THEN TO A CHANCE OF SNOW FROM THE SEWARD
PENINSULA NORTHWARD ON THURSDAY AS COLD AIR PUSHES IN FROM THE
WEST. WEST COAST MARINERS...WILL NOTE THE WIND SHIFT...BUT EXPECT
FLAGS TO STAY IN THE FLAG LOCKER THIS ROUND.

INTERIOR...CHALLENGE HERE IS DISTRIBUTION AND INTENSITY OF
RAINFALL...AND THE HYDROLOGIC RESPONSE. EXPECTING BROAD BAND OF
HEAVIER PRECIPITATION ALONG A FAIRBANKS TO CIRCLE AXIS TONIGHT
AND TUESDAY WITH ADDITIONAL BUT LESSER AMOUNTS CONTINUING INTO
WEDNESDAY. THANKS R-F-C FOR COORDINATION...AND HAVE ISSUED FLOOD
WATCH FOR THE CHATANIKA RIVER...THE SALCHA RIVER...AND THE CHENA
RIVER AT THE MOOSE CREEK DAM FOR FLOODING STARTING TUESDAY NIGHT
INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING.  WILL ALSO CONTINUE SMALL STREAMS ADVISORY
FOR THE CHENA-YUKON DIVIDE AND FORTYMILE COUNTRY THROUGH TUESDAY
AT LEAST WITH AN EXTENSION LIKELY IF RAIN DISTRIBUTION AND
INTENSITY SCENARIO PLAYS OUT AS FORECAST.

EXTENDEDS...MODELS AGREEING ON STRONG POLAR VORTEX DEEPENING OVER
THE HIGH ARCTIC...AND MAINTAINING FORECAST AREA IN GENERAL
WESTERLY AND SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK.
SOME PENETRATION OF COLD AIR WITH ZIPPY WINDS OVER THE ARCTIC
COAST COULD PRODUCE NEXT WEATHER EXCITEMENT AFTER MIDWEEK. SOME
MODEL DIFFERENCES EMERGE LATE IN THE RUNS...EUROPEAN COLLEAGUES
BUILDING RIDGE OUT OF THE GULF OF ALASKA TOWARDS YAKUTAT BY THE
WEEKEND...WHILE DOMESTIC VERSION MAINTAINS BROAD TROUGH OVER GULF
OF ALASKA.  LITTLE IMPACT ON CURRENT FORECAST THINKING OF MORE
CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK IN MOST AREAS.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...RIVER FLOOD WARNING: ZONE 222 - CHENA RIVER AT MILE 37
            CHENA HOT SPRINGS ROAD
      ...RIVER FLOOD WATCH:
            ZONE 222 - CHATANIKA RIVER AND CHENA RIVER AT MOOSE
                        CREEK DAM
            ZONES 223 AND 224 - SALCHA RIVER

      ...SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY: ZONES 220-222-224 FOR
                     CHENA-YUKON UPLANDS AND FORTYMILE COUNTRY.
MARINE...

TS SEP 03

Event by event

4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile

When: September 1, 4:15 PM AST to September 4, 9:00 AM AST
Where: Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

Flood, Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands

When: September 1, 4:15 PM AST to September 4, 9:00 AM AST
Where: Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

Flood, Middle Tanana Valley

When: September 1, 5:00 PM AST to September 8, 11:00 AM AST
Where: Middle Tanana Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Flood, Deltana and Tanana

When: September 3, 5:00 AM AST to September 4, 11:00 AM AST
Where: Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

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, September 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: 5336800, 5336856, 5336798, 5336799.