On the 12th, an ice jam downstream of the village of Buckland backed up water to flood portions of the village. The ice jam released on the 13th and water levels dropped to within the river bank.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.
On the 12th, an ice jam downstream of the village of Buckland backed up water to flood portions of the village. The ice jam released on the 13th and water levels dropped to within the river bank. The road to uptown, and the dump, were flooded as well as water moving along streets. Property damage is estimated at $5000 for road repair.
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 May 12, 11:51 PM AKST, 9 minutes earlier.
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 551 AM ADT TUE MAY 13 2008 .SYNOPSIS... ALOFT...CYCLONIC FLOW WILL PERSIST OVER MAINLAND ALASKA WILL PERSIST INTO THU AS SEVERAL SHORT WAVES MAKE THEIR WAY NORTH INTO NORTHERN ALASKA. WEAK RIDGING ALOFT WILL REDEVELOP OVER MAINLAND ALASKA BY THE WEEKEND. THIS MEANS CONDITIONS WILL BE A BIT COOLER AND MORE CLOUDY WITH ISOLATED/SCATTERED SHOWERS THROUGH FRI AND THEN A BIT DRIER AND WARMER ON THE WEEKEND. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE NORTH OF THE ARCTIC COAST WILL DISSIPATE WED. NORTHEAST WINDS AND FOG ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST WILL DECREASE WED. A SHORT WAVE TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE OCCLUDED FRONT THAT LIES FROM ST LAWRENCE ISLAND TO EAGLE WILL MOVE TO THE BERING STRAIT TO OLD CROW BY 4PM TUE...TO BARTER ISLAND TO THE BERING STRAIT BY 4AM WED...TO DEADHORSE TO THE BERING STRAIT BY 4PM WED...THEN DISSIPATING ALONG A BARROW TO BERING STRAIT LINE BY 4AM THU. EXPECTED ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS ALONG THIS TROUGH/FRONT WITH THE PRECIPITATION FALLING AS SNOW ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST AND WESTERN CAPES OF THE WEST COAST. NORTHEAST WINDS 15-25 KT NORTH OF THE FRONT WILL DECREASE SOUTH OF THE FRONT. WINDS ALONG WESTERN CAPES OF 30-40 KTS WILL DECREASE SOUTH OF THE FRONT AS WELL. A SECOND SHORT WAVE ALONG THE GULF OF ALASKA COAST WILL MOVE TO BETHEL TO FAIRBANKS BY 4PM TUE AND THEN MERGE WITH THE FIRST SHORT WAVE BY 4AM WED. WILL SEE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH THIS AND THEN CLEARING SOUTH OF THE FRONT. A MODERATE CHINOOK IN THE SOUTHEAST INTERIOR WILL KEEP WINDY CONDITIONS THERE TODAY AND KEEP CONDITIONS DRIER AS WELL UNTIL DECREASING TONIGHT. A THIRD FRONT MOVING NORTH INTO THE SOUTHEAST INTERIOR WED WILL MOVE TO A DENALI TO OLD CROW LINE BY 4AM THU AND THEN DISSIPATE THU. WILL SEE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH THIS. CONVECTION...LIFTED INDEXES WILL NEAR ZERO IN ZONES 217 AND 219 TODAY BUT NO THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED. && .DISCUSSION... MODELS INITIALIZE WELL AND SHOW SIMILAR SOLUTIONS. THE GFS MOVES THE SHORT WAVE CURRENTLY IN THE NORTH PACIFIC NORTH FASTER THAN THE NAM ON WED AND THU. SATELLITE PICTURES SHOWING STRONG CYCLOGENESIS NOW OCCURRING AND FASTER THAN MODELS INDICATED CAUSE US TO PREFER THE FASTER GFS SOLUTION. && .FIRE WEATHER... WILL NEED TO RE-ISSUE RED FLAG WARNINGS FOR WINDS GUSTING OVER 25 MPH TODAY FOR ZONES 223 224 AND 226 && .HYDROLOGY... FLOOD WARNING FOR THE BUCKLAND RIVER AT BUCKLAND AND FLOOD WATCH FOR YUKON RIVER AT NULATO AND KOYUKUK. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ225. FLOOD WATCH FOR AKZ216. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR PKZ225-PKZ230. GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210. BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230. && JB MAY 08
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, May 2008
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: 90966.