An ice jam developed in the Tanana River about one half mile downstream of the Boondox area during the morning of the 28th. The ice jam caused the Tanana River water to flow overland into Piledriver slough and across Portions of the old Richardson Highway where the water was 3 feet deep in spots and made the highway impassable.
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.
An ice jam developed in the Tanana River about one half mile downstream of the Boondox area during the morning of the 28th. The ice jam caused the Tanana River water to flow overland into Piledriver slough and across Portions of the old Richardson Highway where the water was 3 feet deep in spots and made the highway impassable. Private property and some residences were surrounded by water. The flooding was compounded by warm temperatures that caused considerable snowmelt and raised the water levels significantly in the Tanana River. Three to four homes had minor damage at or near the first floor level and a few property owners had minor damage to their access roads; thus a total of $500.00.
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 28, 3:44 AM AKST, 6 hours 46 minutes earlier.
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 444 AM AKDT TUE APR 28 2009 .DISCUSSION... THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH FRI. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IN THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL BUILD AND EXPAND NORTH INTO THE NORTHEAST INTERIOR BY THU MORNING. PRECIPITATION IN THE WESTERN INTERIOR AND EASTERN BROOKS RANGE WILL RETREAT WEST TO BEYOND AN AMBLER-GALENA-MCGRATH LINE BY WED. THU AND FRI WILL FIND PRECIPITATION ONLY ALONG THE WESTERN ALASKA COASTAL REGIONS. THE ARCTIC COAST WILL SEE DOWNSLOPE FLOW FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. SCATTERED FLURRIES ARE POSSIBLE TODAY ALL ALONG THE COAST WITH SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS RETURNING TO THE WESTERN ARCTIC COAST BY EARLY WED MORNING AND PERSISTING AT LEAST THROUGH THU. THE WEST COAST WILL SEE SOME DRYING WELL INLAND WHILE THE COASTAL AREAS WILL CONTINUE WITH RAIN....MIXED WITH SNOW AT TIMES...AND AREAS OF FOG THROUGH FRI. DENSE FOG EXPECTED IN ZONES 211 213 AND 214 THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AS WARM AIR MOVES INTO THOSE AREAS. THE INTERIOR WILL BE DRY AND VERY WARM UNDER STRONG RIDGING WITH NEAR RECORD TO RECORD BREAKING HIGH TEMPERATURES. SUNNY SKIES AND A LITTLE HEAT ARE CERTAINLY WELCOMED AFTER THE LONG WINTER BUT NOT THE RAPID MELT OF SNOW AND THE POSSIBLE HYDRO ISSUES IT MAY CAUSE. && .FIRE WEATHER...NONE. TOO WET TO BURN...BUT DRYING QUICKLY. && .HYDROLOGY...NONE. RAPID SNOW MELT...ESPECIALLY AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS...MAY BE A CONCERN BY THIS WEEKEND. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225. && RL APR 09
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 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2009
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: 158389.