Ice Jammed about 50 miles downstream of Tanana on the 11th and ice continued to pack into the back of the jam and stopped near the village of Tanana on the morning of the 12th. Flooding began in Tanana at approximately 4 am on the 12th.
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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.
Ice Jammed about 50 miles downstream of Tanana on the 11th and ice continued to pack into the back of the jam and stopped near the village of Tanana on the morning of the 12th. Flooding began in Tanana at approximately 4 am on the 12th. The water levels peaked at around 3 pm on the 12th, and it was the 2nd highest crest on record. Residents of the village reported that this was the worst flooding in 50 years, and the water levels were only 3 feet shy of the record flood of 1937. |Many sections of the village were flooded including the road to the airport. One house was washed away by the flood waters, and 30 homes had major flood damage. Approximately 80 people were evacuated from the village. By 5 pm on the 12th the water levels began to fall, but remained above bankfull until the late evening hours on the 13th. The damage estimates for this event include the costs to repair and replace homes that were damaged and destroyed as well as costs to repair and replace public infrastructure and equipment.
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 11, 1:01 PM AKST, 13 hours 59 minutes earlier.
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 201 PM AKDT MON MAY 11 2009 .DISCUSSION... STRONG BLOCKING HIGH ALOFT CENTERED NEAR NUNIVAK ISLAND IS PROGGED BY CURRENT MODEL RUNS TO WEAKEN A LITTLE THROUGH 12Z THU WITH THE CENTER MOVING TO NEAR ST PAUL ISLAND. MODERATE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE OVER MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH 12Z THU. MESSY NORTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO BRING SNOW SHOWERS TO THE CENTRAL/EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE ARCTIC AND RAIN SHOWERS TO PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL/EASTERN INTERIOR TONIGHT. SHOWER ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO BE LESS WIDESPREAD TUE. THE WEST COAST/WESTERN INTERIOR WILL REMAIN DRY. && .FIRE WEATHER... NONE. && .HYDROLOGY... FLOOD WATCH FOR THE YUKON RIVER FROM TANANA TO NULATO. FLOOD WATCH FOR THE BUCKLAND RIVER AT BUCKLAND. FLOOD WARNING FOR THE YUKON RIVER FROM STEVENS VILLAGE TO TANANA. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLOOD WATCH FOR AKZ210-AKZ216. FLOOD WARNING FOR AKZ220-AKZ221. && RF MAY 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, May 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: 163406.