A trough of low pressure began to develop in the southern Chukchi Sea on August 11, 2012. The trough developed into a closed low aloft near Wrangel Island by the 14th, and the low continued to wobble around in the Chukchi Sea through the 20th.
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.
A trough of low pressure began to develop in the southern Chukchi Sea on August 11, 2012. The trough developed into a closed low aloft near Wrangel Island by the 14th, and the low continued to wobble around in the Chukchi Sea through the 20th. The low produced a long fetch of moist southwest flow aloft and combined with several surface lows and frontal boundaries to transport copious moisture into parts of the western Brooks Range, Chukchi Sea coast, and parts of the Seward Peninsula.| |Extraordinary rainfall amounts were observed in a few spots. The Red Dog Mine observed a 7-day storm total of 8.79 inches of rain, and a 9-day total of an amazing 10.38 inches, which is well in excess of half of the average annual rainfall. Tahinichok Remote Automated Weather Station, which is located approximately 15 miles west of Noatak observed a 7-day rainfall total of 7.47 inches. Kivalina, along the immediate Chukchi Sea coast observed a 7-day total of 4.93 inches. Nome, which is along the southern Seward Peninsula, had a week long total of 3.74 inches. A runway closure at Nome was compounded by the heavy rainfall, and caused seven Alaska Airlines flights to be cancelled and there were no cargo flights all week.
The Wulik River, which is one of only a handful of automated river gages in northwest Alaska, observed a record crest at 0500AKST on the 16th of 15.31 feet or 75,320 CFS. This is the highest crest observed since the gage was installed in 1985. The old record high crest was 12.21 feet on August 17, 1994. By comparison, prior to the heavy rain the river was flowing at only 1,250 CFS or only about one sixtieth of what was observed after the heavy rainfall. Somewhat lighter rain continued to fall after the crest on the morning of the 16th which led to additional crests on the 17th, 19th and 22nd. At the peak crest on the morning of the 16th, the USGS estimated that the Wulik River gage had at least 6 inches of water in the gage house. The river would be well above bankfull and likely spread out one half to one mile overbank on the west side of the river. A hunting lodge downriver from the gage was likely under 3 to 4 feet of water.
The high volume of water draining from the Wulik and nearby Kivalina River filled the Kivalina lagoon faster than it could drain out to sea on August 16th. This resulted in an unusual flooding scenario in the village of Kivalina. The water level on the lagoon rose to the point where it was topping over the lower banks and getting under some houses, and washed over the village dump site. The high water damaged the pipe that runs between the village and the intake at the mouth of the Wulik River. Very turbid water from the high flows prevented the village from pumping fresh water which led to a water shortage in the village, and bottled water had to be flown in. The water shortage cancelled the start of the school year as the school and teacher housing was without clean water. It was estimated that the school may not open until October 1st.
At Kotzebue, waves estimated at 4 feet high in the lagoon sank one boat that had its bow on the beach but the back end filled from the breaking waves. The water levels begin to fall on the morning of the 17th.
On the afternoon of the 16th the Red Dog Mine reported that the water levels were high and creeks were overbank and flooding. Culverts were at full capacity and there was some slumping of roadways around the mine. Otherwise, the mine reported no significant impacts or damages to their infrastructure.
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 Aug 15, 12:10 PM AKST, 8 hours 50 minutes earlier.
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 110 PM AKDT WED AUG 15 2012 .DISCUSSION... 984 MB LOW NEAR 66N/179E IN EASTERN SIBERIA IS PROGGED BY CURRENT MODELS TO MOVE TO THE GULF OF ANADYR BY 10 AM THURSDAY FILLING TO 990 MB...WEAKENING FURTHER TO 994 MB BY 10 AM FRIDAY. A 984 MB LOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AROUND 150 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WRANGEL ISLAND THIS AFTERNOON...MOVING TO ABOUT 200 MILES NORTHEAST OF WRANGEL ISLAND BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE OVER NORTHWEST ALASKA THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH RAIN CONTINUING OVER MUCH OF NORTHWEST ALASKA. THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS WILL BE ALONG SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST FACING MOUNTAIN SLOPES IN ZONES 208-210-217. THE NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ON DECK IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN TO DEVELOP ABOUT 500 MILES WEST OF ST MATTHEW ISLAND EARLY FRIDAY MORNING AS A 992 MB CENTER. THIS LOW IS PROGGED TO DEEPEN TO AROUND 990 MB EAST OF ST MATTHEW ISLAND BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...BUT HAVE A STRONGER AND MORE EXPANSIVE CIRCULATION REINFORCED BY A STRONG EASTWARD MOVING SHORT WAVE TROUGH ALOFT. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING MORE RAIN TO THE WEST COAST...NORTHWEST ALASKA...AND THE WESTERN INTERIOR. OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR...SOUTHERLY FLOW ALONG THE BACK SIDE OF AN UPPER RIDGE WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY. HEIGHTS AND 850 MB TEMPERATURES WILL FALL SOME FRIDAY AS THE UPPER RIDGE MOVES FARTHER EASTWARD INTO CANADA...BRINGING IN MORE CLOUD COVER AND TRIMMING TEMPERATURES BACK DOWN TO NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS. COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL... HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CHUKCHI SEA COAST FROM RED DOG PORT TO POINT HOPE THROUGH NOON THURSDAY. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 30-40 KT CONTINUING THROUGH THIS EVENING...THEN SLOWLY DIMINISHING TO AROUND 20 KT BY MID DAY THURSDAY. SEAS TO 7-11 FEET OFFSHORE THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH TIDES 1.5 TO 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL. WAVE HEIGHTS WILL DIMINISH SOME AS THE WAVES BREAK ONSHORE. SEAS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH LATER TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...WITH SEA LEVEL ELEVATION FALLING TO ABOUT 1 FOOT ABOVE NORMAL. RED DOG TIDE GAGE IS SHOWING TIDE CURRENTLY ABOUT 0.75-0.8 FOOT ABOVE NORMAL...A LITTLE LESS THAN THE 1.0 FOOT PREDICTED BY THE STORM SURGE MODEL. ALONG THE BERING SEA COAST FROM WALES TO CAPE RODNEY... SEA LEVELS WILL INCREASE TO 2 TO 2.5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. MAXIMUM WINDS WILL BE SOUTH TO AROUND 40 KT WITH SEAS TO 10-11 FEET OFFSHORE. IN NORTON SOUND...SEA LEVELS IN NORTON SOUND WILL GRADUALLY RISE THROUGH THURSDAY. MAXIMUM ELEVATION IN SEA LEVELS WILL BE 2 TO 3 FEET ALONG THE COAST FROM CAPE RODNEY TO UNALAKLEET...AND 1.3 TO 2 FEET FROM SOUTH OF UNALAKLEET TO THE YUKON DELTA. THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS IN SEA LEVEL...AROUND 3 FEET WILL BE IN NORTON BAY. NO COASTAL FLOODING IS EXPECTED. IN THE NOME AREA...THE MAXIMUM STORM SURGE WILL BE AROUND 2.5 FEET DURING THE DAY THURSDAY...WITH MAXIMUM TIDES OF 4 TO 4.3 FEET. HIGHEST WINDS OVER THE SOUND NEAR NOME ARE EXPECTED TO BE 30-35 KT PRODUCING SEAS OFFSHORE TO 6-8 FEET. THESE CONDITIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE ENOUGH TO CAUSE ANY COASTAL FLOODING OR BEACH EROSION PROBLEMS IN THE NOME AREA. THE TIDE AT NOME IS CURRENTLY ABOUT 1.3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL. && .FIRE WEATHER... NO RED FLAG CONDITIONS EXPECTED. && .HYDROLOGY... HEAVY RAIN IS CONTINUING IN ZONE 207 AND PARTS OF ZONE 208. RED DOG MINE HAS REPORTED 4.0 INCHES IN THE LAST 48 HRS. OTHER SIGNIFICANT 48 HR TOTALS INCLUDE 3.3 INCHES AT TAHINICHOK RAWS...2.4 INCHES AT KIVALINA...1.6 INCHES AT WULIK RIVER AND 1.4 INCHES AT KELLY. RECENT 12 HR AMOUNTS INCLUDE 1.7 INCHES AT RED DOG...1.2 INCHES AT TAHINICHOK...AND 1.1 INCHES AT KIVALINA. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL OF 2 TO 4 INCHES IS EXPECTED IN ZONES 207 AND 208 THROUGH FRIDAY. IN ZONE 217...RAINFALL OF 2 TO 4 INCHES IS EXPECTED IN SOME AREAS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. SOME ADDITIONAL RAIN MAY OCCUR IN THESE AREAS SATURDAY. FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES 207-208 WILL BE UPGRADED TO A SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY. FLOOD WATCH WILL BE ISSUED FOR ZONE 217. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR AKZ207-208...WILL BE ISSUED LATER THIS AFTERNOON. FLOOD WATCH FOR AKZ217...WILL BE ISSUED LATER THIS AFTERNOON. HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR AKZ207. FLOOD WATCH FOR AKZ207-AKZ208. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ215-PKZ230. GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225. BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ235-PKZ240. && RF AUG 12
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, August 2012
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: 393760, 393806, 393761.