Alaska, 2010Flood in Alaska, October 2, 2010
October 2, 2010 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone
A series of lows brought steady and moderate rain across the Kenai peninsula and contributed to the flooding of the Resurrection River. Light rain began in Seward on Sept 29 and moderate rain began by the afternoon.
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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.
A series of lows brought steady and moderate rain across the Kenai peninsula and contributed to the flooding of the Resurrection River. Light rain began in Seward on Sept 29 and moderate rain began by the afternoon. Light rain continued through Sept 30, with moderate and even heavy rain Oct 1 and Oct 2.
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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 2, 3:58 AM AKST, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Oct 2, 3:58 AM AKST, 2 hours 2 minutes before
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
500 AM AKDT FRI OCT 1 2010
.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
A MASSIVE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH EXTENDS FROM EASTERN RUSSIA TO EAST OF
THE CANADIAN ROCKIES THIS MORNING. EMBEDDED CUT-OFF LOWS ARE OVER THE
SOUTHERN KAMCHATKA PENINSULA AND THE EASTERN BERING. AT THE
SURFACE...A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS OVER SOUTHWEST AK WITH A
WEAK RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN BERING...AND A STRONGER RIDGE JUST EAST
OF THE PANHANDLE. A RAPIDLY WEAKENING LOW PRESSURE CENTER IS NEAR
HOMER AND THE ASSOCIATED OCCLUDED FRONT IS BRINGING SURGES OF
MOISTURE AND WIND INTO AREAS ALONG THE NORTH GULF COAST. THE NEXT LOW
WHICH WILL BE AFFECTING THE GULF IS AROUND 500 MILES SOUTH OF THE
KENAI PENINSULA.
.MODEL DISCUSSION...
MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN BRINGING THE HOMER LOW INTO THE BROAD
AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER SOUTHWEST AK LATER TODAY. BY LATE SATURDAY
THE RUN-TO RUN INCONSISTENCY OF THE GFS MAKES THE EC THE MODEL OF
CHOICE. THE LOW THAT WAS 500 MILES SOUTH OF THE KENAI PENINSULA
CURVES THROUGH THE GULF AND REACHES THE KENAI PENINSULA NEAR HOMER ON
SUN BEFORE MERGING WITH THE LOW PRESSURE OVER SOUTHWEST AK.
BY THIS TIME THE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE HAS ALREADY SPAWNED A NEW LOW
NEAR NUNIVAK ISLAND WHICH REMAINS IN THE VICINITY OF THE AKPEN
THROUGH THE WEEKEND. ON MONDAY THE THIRD LOW IN THE SERIES...AFTER
TRANSITING JUST SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIANS...MERGES WITH THE LINGERING
AKPEN LOW AND MOVES INTO THE CENTRAL GULF ON TUE.
.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
IN THE WEST...SHOWERS WILL PERSIST ON NORTHWEST FLOW THROUGH TUE.
WIND OVER THE EASTERN BERING WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH.
FOR SOUTHWEST AK...SHOWERS WILL PERSIST BENEATH THE BROAD AREA OF LOW
PRESSURE THROUGH MON...AND THEN DRYING CONDITIONS DEVELOP AS THE LOWS
MERGE SOUTH OF THE AKPEN AND MOVE INTO THE GULF.
SOUTH AND EAST OF THE AK RANGE...DANGEROUS WIND SHOULD END THIS
MORNING AS THE LOW MOVES WEST AND THE FRONT MOVES ONSHORE AND
DISSIPATES. RAIN WILL CONTINUE BUT GRADUALLY TAPER OFF AS ONSHORE
FLOW DIMINISHES THROUGH SAT. RAIN THEN RESUMES SUN AS THE SECOND LOW
AND ASSOCIATED FRONT MOVES TOWARD THE COAST.
.LONG TERM FORECAST...
SHOWERS ON NORTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST
THROUGH MIDWEEK. SOUTHEAST OF THE AK RANGE WILL HAVE ANOTHER ROUND OF
STRONG WIND BEGINNING TUE ALONG THE COAST WITH RAIN SPREADING INLAND
BEFORE ENDING LATER IN THE WEEK.
.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING 125 135
MARINE...STORM 120
GALE 125 129 150 155 160 165 170 179 185
FIRE WEATHER...NONE
DS OCT 10Flood, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns
- When
- October 2, 6:00 AM AKST to 3:00 PM AKST
- Where
- Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns County, Seward to 2.14 mi NW of Seward
- Cause
- Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
- Reported by
- River/Stream Gage
- Coordinates
- 60.120, -149.450
Heavy rainfall along the Eastern Kenai Mountains caused the Resurrection River near Seward, Alaska to reach flood stage. It was over flood stage from Oct 2 at 7 AM ADT through 4 PM ADT Oct 2nd. The crest was at 18.17 ft, which is .67 ft over flood stage.|In addition, the Seward Emergency Manager reported a mudslide on mile 19 with only one lane open. Water was up to the road at Salmon Creek road and Nash road. There was also an unconfirmed report of water over the bridge near the prison.
- 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.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New Mexico, October 2, 2010$8.0 million · 2 in hail · 17 events
- Rip Current in Rhode Island, October 2, 20101 injured · 1 event
- Flooding in Illinois, October 2 to 16, 20106 events
- High Wind in Alaska, October 2, 201068 kt wind · 1 event
- Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, October 2, 20101 event
- Hail in Arizona, October 2, 20100.75 in hail · 1 event
- Waterspout in Lake Michigan, October 2, 20101 event
- Flash Flood in California, October 2, 20101 event
- Damaging Wind in Nevada, October 2, 201052 kt wind · 1 event
- Dust Storm in Arizona, October 2, 20101 event
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: 255032.