Alaska, 2006

Flooding in Alaska, August 18 to 24, 2006

August 18 to 24, 2006 · NWS AFC · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Widespread heavy rain fell over much of central and south central Alaska beginning August 17th and continuing through August 23rd. Heavier rains Friday caused rises on both gauged and un gauged rivers throughout this area.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

Widespread heavy rain fell over much of central and south central Alaska beginning August 17th and continuing through August 23rd. Heavier rains Friday caused rises on both gauged and un gauged rivers throughout this area. Twenty four hour rainfall amounts of up to 6 inches were reported through the Susitna River valley by Saturday morning along with widespread reports of flooding and road wash outs. This event resulted in the tentative flood of record for the river gauge on the Little Susitna River at the Parks highway with a preliminary crest near 14 ft. Moderate rain fell earlier in the week beginning on the 12th and 13th in the Susitna Valley. Total rainfall measured at the Ruth Glacier RAWS was 16.42 inches for this event and the Hatcher Pass RAWS measured 14.86 inches of rain. The axis of heaviest rain shifted east to the Prince William Sound area Saturday evening to Monday morning. By Monday morning the Mt. Eyak Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) gauge near Cordova had reported over 13 inches of rain in the previous 48 hours. This intense rainfall caused high stages and flooding on Sheridan Creek, Copper River, Power Creek, the Eyak River and Eyak Lake near Cordova. Heavy rainfall in the Anchorage and upper Kenai Peninsula areas during this event caused Campbell Creek at the canyon mouth near Anchorage to reach record stages. Saturated ground near Girdwood caused a massive debris flow on Crow Creek Pass Trail around 2 pm Monday, resulting in a National Guard rescue of nearly 30 stranded hikers.The rain became light by Thursday, August 24 across the flooded areas, and rivers continued to recede, with all rivers, streams, and lakes back below flood stage.

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 Aug 18, 3:00 AM AST, 7 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 18, 3:00 AM AST, 7 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
400 AM ADT FRI AUG 18 2006

.DISCUSSION...

MODELS..WRF CONTINUES TO MOVE THE COLD FRONT TOO FAST ON 00Z
RUN..WILL GO WITH THE CONSENSUS OF UKMET AND GFS ON SYSTEM FLOW.

SUMMARY..A VERTICALLY STACKED LOW WILL LINGER OVER THE KUSKOKWIM
VALLEY TODAY WITH ITS COLD FRONT EXTENDING INTO THE GULF OF AK.
STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL RESULT OVER SOUTHCENTRAL AK TODAY. A RIDGE
OVER THE BERING WILL WEAKEN TONIGHT AND GIVE WAY TO A WEAK LOW THAT
WILL MOVE OVER THE PRIBILOFS SAT NIGHT. 850 MB CAA IS NOT NEARLY AS
STRONG AS PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS INDICATED. HOWEVER STILL ANTICIPATE
COOLER TEMPS MOVING INTO THE MAINLAND AOR TODAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

AER..STRONG WINDS EXPECTED THROUGH TURNAGAIN ARM AND COASTAL MARINES
WITH A TIGHT SOUTHERLY GRADIENT. RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AREA
WITH FROPA TODAY. RAIN IS EXPECTED TO BE HEAVY AT TIMES WITH FLOODING
A POSSIBILITY FOR SMALL STREAMS IN THE AK AND TALKEETNA RANGES.
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS MORNING INTO AFTERNOON
ALONG THE COAST AND MARINE AREAS SUCH AS COOK INLET IN THE WAKE OF
THE FRONT. AS THE FRONT PUSHES EAST INTO THE COPPER RIVER SAT NIGHT
COOLER TEMPS MOVE IN BEHIND IT. EXPECT THIS TO BE MODERATED BY CLOUD
COVER.

ALU..FROPA CURRENTLY OCCURRING ALONG THE Y-K DELTA WITH RAIN ACROSS
THE SOUTHWEST MAINLAND. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE COAST IN THE
WAKE OF FROPA AND POSSIBLY INLAND IF SUFFICIENT TEMP CONTRAST OCCURS.
STRATUS AND FOG STILL A FORECAST ISSUE ESPECIALLY FOR AIR TRAVEL. AS
THE RIDGE MOVES OUT EXPECT RAIN TO MOVE IN TO THE BERING AND ALEUTIAN
CHAIN THROUGH SUN MORNING.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...FLOOD WATCH 141 145.
MARINE...GALES 130 160.
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

RNW AUG 06

Event by event

3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Susitna Valley

When
August 18, 10:30 AM AST to August 24, 7:30 AM AST
Where
Susitna Valley County, Countywide
Property damage
$20 million
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Flood, Matanuska Valley

When
August 18, 10:30 AM AST to August 24, 7:30 AM AST
Where
Matanuska Valley County, 15 mi N of Wasilla
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Flood, Sern P.W. Snd

When
August 21, 10:00 AM AST to August 23, 4:30 PM AST
Where
Sern P.W. Snd County, Cordova
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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, August 2006

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: 5521375, 5521376, 5521377.