Alaska, 2005

Flood in Alaska, April 26 to 28, 2005

April 26 to 28, 2005 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Along with a high amount of snowmelt, an ice jam formed in the Tanana River downstream of Piledriver slough in the Salcha Area, causing water to flow into Piledriver Slough, which then went overbank flooding portions of the Old Richardson Highway and a number of residences along Piledriver Slough. Access to several residences were cut off during the event, and the Old Richardson highway had 2 to…

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.

Along with a high amount of snowmelt, an ice jam formed in the Tanana River downstream of Piledriver slough in the Salcha Area, causing water to flow into Piledriver Slough, which then went overbank flooding portions of the Old Richardson Highway and a number of residences along Piledriver Slough. Access to several residences were cut off during the event, and the Old Richardson highway had 2 to 3 feet of water over it for a time. 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 Apr 26, 1:30 PM AST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 26, 1:30 PM AST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM ADT TUE APR 26 2005

.DISCUSSION...
LARGE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE STRETCHES FROM IDAHO TO THE YUKON.
THIS RIDGE WILL SHIFT NORTHWEST AND CUTOFF OVER THE BROOKS RANGE
AT ABOUT 580 DAM OR SO BY THURSDAY AND REMAIN STATIONARY INTO
THE WEEKEND. FREEZING LEVELS WILL RISE TO NEAR 10000 FEET UNDER
THIS RIDGE WITH RECORD SETTING HIGH TEMPERATURES AS WELL AS
RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURES LIKELY AT MANY STATIONS ACROSS
INTERIOR ALASKA THIS WEEK. ASIDE FROM SOME CIRRUS CLOUDS WAFTING
OVERHEAD FROM TIME TO TIME THE SKIES OVER INTERIOR ALASKA WILL
BE MOSTLY CLEAR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK.

AN OCCLUSION MOVING NORTH INTO THE BERING ON WEDNESDAY WILL SCRAPE
OUR WEST COAST WITH SOME CLOUDS BUT PRECIPITATION WILL BE
RELEGATED TO SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND AS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER
THE STATE BLOCKS ANY EASTWARD PROGRESS. WINDS WILL INCREASE
TONIGHT OVER THE YUKON DELTA AND NORTHWARD TO THE SEWARD PENN
AND KOTZEBUE SOUND DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY...DECREASING DURING
THE DAY ON THURSDAY AS OCCLUSION MOVES AWAY TO THE NORTHWEST.

SKIES WILL REMAIN FAIR OVER THE NORTH SLOPE WITH PATCHY FOG
POSSIBLE EACH MORNING. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS WILL INCREASE
A LITTLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY WEST OF BARROW AND MAY
GET TO MINIMAL ADVISORY CRITERIA FOR CAPE LISBURNE. TEMPERATURES
WILL WARM TO NEAR FREEZING DURING THE DAY ALONG THE COAST AND INTO
THE 40S INLAND WITH THE RIDGE OVERHEAD.

.HYDRO...WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE RAPID SNOW MELT RESULTING
IN INCREASED FLOODING THREAT FOR AREA TRIBUTARIES. FLOOD WATCH FOR
THE TANANA NEAR SALCHA CONTINUES THROUGH FRIDAY AND THE ADVISORY
FOR KOKOMO CREEK NEAR 38 MILE STEESE HIGHWAY HAS BEEN EXTENDED
THROUGH NOON FRIDAY AS HIGH WATER CONTINUES THERE.

.FIRE WEATHER...EXPECT HUMIDITIES TO DROP EACH AFTERNOON TO
15 TO 30 PERCENT ACROSS MOST OF THE INTERIOR UNDER THE RIDGE
ALOFT. WINDS WILL INCREASE A LITTLE OVER INTERIOR RIDGES THURSDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY...REMAINING LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT LOWER ELEVATIONS.

.AFG WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...FLOOD WATCH...ZONE 222 TANANA RIVER NEAR SALCHA
         FLOOD ADVISORY...ZONE 222 NEAR 38 MI STEESE HIGHWAY
MARINE...BRISK WIND ADVISORY...9A/B...10A/B...11A

ABE APR 05

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 26, 4:08 PM AST, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
508 PM ADT TUE APR 26 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0500 PM     FLOOD            SALCHA                  64.47N 146.94W
04/26/2005                                      AK   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ICE JAM ON TANANA RIVER IS CAUSING WATER TO BACK UP IN
            PILEDRIVER SLOUGH. FLOODING IS OCCURING FROM THE FORMER
            BOONDOX BAR AREA TO STRINGER ROAD AT THIS TIME.

&&

ABE

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Deltana and Tanana

When
April 26, 4:15 PM AST to April 28, 3:00 AM 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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2005

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: 5446607.