Alaska, 2009

Flood in Alaska, May 7 to 8, 2009

May 7 to 8, 2009 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

High water in the Kuskokwim River at McGrath due to snow melt caused serious erosion to the levee along Takotna Avenue that acts as a levee that keeps water from flooding the city of McGrath. It was reported that 8 feet of road was falling into the river each hour during the afternoon hours on the 7th.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$60,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 AFG wrote it up.

High water in the Kuskokwim River at McGrath due to snow melt caused serious erosion to the levee along Takotna Avenue that acts as a levee that keeps water from flooding the city of McGrath. It was reported that 8 feet of road was falling into the river each hour during the afternoon hours on the 7th. The water gradually receded by the afternoon of the 8th. The damage estimates for this event include the costs to repair the levee.

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 Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 6, 11:00 PM AKST, 14 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 11:00 PM AKST, 14 hours before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1200 AM AKDT THU MAY 7 2009

.DISCUSSION...
SHORT TERM PROGS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH 00Z SUN.
LOW AMPLITUDE SHORT WAVE FROM THE WRANGEL ISLAND AREA
SOUTH WILL MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE ARCTIC ZONES THU
THROUGH THU NIGHT IN A MODERATE SPEED WESTERLY FLOW.
AN ASSOCIATED 1003 MB SURFACE LOW NEAR WRANGEL ISLAND
WILL MOVE EASTWARD CROSS THE BEAUFORT SEA TO BE 250-300
MILES NORTH OF THE MACKENZIE RIVER DELTA BY 00Z SAT...
FILLING A FEW MB. A PERIOD OF 20-25 MPH WINDS MAY OCCUR
ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST AND IN ARCTIC MARINE AREAS WITH
THIS EASTWARD MOVING LOW...ALONG WITH SOME LIGHT SNOW OR
SNOW SHOWERS.

ANOTHER WEAK SHORT WAVE WILL MOVE RAPIDLY ACROSS THE
NORTHERN PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA FRI. STRONG HIGH PRESSURE
AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT WILL BUILD OVER THE BERING SEA
SAT THROUGH MON...SHIFTING THE UPPER FLOW TO NORTHWEST OVER
THE INTERIOR AND THE ARCTIC REGIONS. TEMPERATURES IN THE
INTERIOR WILL REMAIN NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
NONE. MIN RH IN THE INTERIOR EXPECTED TO BE 35% OR HIGHER AT
MOST LOCATIONS FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE YUKON RIVER FROM EAGLE TO FORT
YUKON. AS OF 7 PM WEDNESDAY THE YUKON RIVER STAGE AT EAGLE WAS
ABOVE 50 FT. FLOOD STAGE IS 34 FT.

FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE YUKON RIVER FROM FORT YUKON
TO THE YUKON BRIDGE.

FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE BUCKLAND RIVER AT BUCKLAND.

FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE KOBUK RIVER AT KOBUK.

FLOOD WATCH FOR THE BLACK RIVER AT CHALKYITSIK.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLOOD WATCH FOR AKZ210-AKZ217-AKZ220-AKZ227.
FLOOD WARNING FOR AKZ220.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ240-PKZ245.

&&

RF MAY 09

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Upper Kuskokwim Valley

When
May 7, 1:00 PM AKST to May 8, 10:00 AM AKST
Where
Upper Kuskokwim Valley County, 1.05 mi SSE of McGrath
Cause
Dam / Levee Break
Property damage
$60,000
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
62.956, -155.585

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 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, May 2009

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: 158416.