A large volume of water and a considerable amount of ice moved down river after the historic flooding at Eagle. A 35 mile long ice run started to move by Circle during the evening of the 6th and jammed about 10 miles downstream of Circle.
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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.
A large volume of water and a considerable amount of ice moved down river after the historic flooding at Eagle. A 35 mile long ice run started to move by Circle during the evening of the 6th and jammed about 10 miles downstream of Circle. This caused water and ice to back into the channel in front of Circle. The water crested during the early morning hours on the 7th, and then began to drop as the ice jam broke downriver. This led to moderate flooding in Circle. Chunks of ice came into town and damaged a few buildings along the riverbank. The store in town had about 20 inches of water at the highest point, but some homes closer to the Yukon River were flooded with water several feet deep. 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 6, 1:25 PM AKST, 8 hours 35 minutes earlier.
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 225 PM AKDT WED MAY 6 2009 .DISCUSSION... THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GFS AND THE ECMF CONCERNING THIS WEEKEND THAT APPEARED TO BE RESOLVED HAVE REAPPEARED. THE ECMF HAS GONE BACK TO BUILDING THE RIDGE ALOFT OVER EASTERN RUSSIA HIGHER AND MOVING IT MORE SLOWLY. IN THIS INSTANCE...THE DIFFERENCES RESULT IN WARMER TEMPERATURES OVER THE WEST COAST... SIMILAR TEMPERATURES IN THE INTERIOR...AND COLDER TEMPERATURES IN THE ARCTIC. THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE SHORT TERM THOUGH. THE TROUGH ALOFT FROM ABOUT KAKTOVIK TO GALENA WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST TO A EAGLE - DELTA LINE AT 4PM THURSDAY...DECELERATE THEREAFTER... BUT CLEAR INTERIOR ALASKA FRIDAY AFTERNOON. FAIRLY FAST WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT DEVELOPS BEHIND THIS TROUGH...WITH A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES MOVING ALONG IN THIS FLOW. A SURFACE LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIRST OF THESE WILL BE ABOUT 1004 MB MIDWAY BETWEEN WRANGEL ISLAND AND POINT LAY AT 4AM THU...AND 1008 MB JUST NORTH OF BARROW AT 10 PM THU NIGHT. THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE THAT PRESENTLY EXTENDS FROM DEADHORSE TO NOME WILL ROTATE SOUTHEAST AHEAD OF IT TO LIE FROM INUVIK TO KOYUK AND 4AM THU AND FROM EAGLE TO SAINT MICHAEL AT 10 PM THU. && .FIRE WEATHER... NO ISSUES. TOO COOL. && .HYDROLOGY... BREAKUP CONTINUES AND ITS A MESS. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLOOD WATCH FOR AKZ210-AKZ219-AKZ220-AKZ227. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ206. BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ225-PKZ230. && DJH 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: 159098.