After a record breaking cold and late spring in South Central Alaska, a warm upper level ridge built over the region in early June. This caused rapid snow melt which produced floods in the Copper River basin.
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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 AFC wrote it up.
After a record breaking cold and late spring in South Central Alaska, a warm upper level ridge built over the region in early June. This caused rapid snow melt which produced floods in the Copper River basin.
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 May 31, 1:00 PM AKST, 11 hours earlier.
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK 200 PM AKDT FRI MAY 31 2013 .ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS... AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH IS OVER CENTRAL ALASKA WITH A THERMAL LOW AT THE SURFACE. THE UPPER HIGH CONTINUES WEST INTO THE BERING SEA AND EASTWARD INTO CANADA. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW IS SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIANS WITH A TROUGH EXTENDING EASTWARD INTO THE GULF OF ALASKA. .MODEL DISCUSSION... THE FORECAST MODELS HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON THE WEATHER SITUATION AND ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH 84 HOURS. FOR THE AFTERNOON PACKAGE THERE IS A PREFERENCE TOWARD THE NAM EARLY ON...THEN TRANSITIONING TO THE GFS. .SHORT TERM FORECAST... THE CENTRAL ALASKA RIDGE WILL SLOWLY MOVE NORTH OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. AT THE SAME TIME THE LOW SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIANS WILL SLOWLY WORK ITS WAY TOWARDS THE GULF OF ALASKA. THE LOW WILL TAKE MOVE MORE AGGRESSIVELY INTO THE GULF ON MONDAY AS THE CENTRAL ALASKA RIDGE WEAKENS AND BEGINS TO SPLIT. THE GENERAL TREND THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL BE A TRANSITION TO A COOLER AND MOISTER PATTERN OVER SOUTHERN ALASKA. THE BEST CHANCES FOR RAIN OVER SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA WILL BE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY AS A FRONT DEVELOPS OVER THE AREA ALONG THE MAIN TRANSITION FROM ANTICYCLONIC TO CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT. SOME DIURNAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FROM THE LOWER KUSKOKWIM VALLEY EASTWARD ALONG THE ALASKA RANGE AND INTO THE WRANGLE MOUNTAINS THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. BY SUNDAY THE STABLE AIR WILL HAVE WORKED ITS WAY FAR ENOUGH NORTH TO BRING THE CHANCES OF THUNDER TO AN END. .AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY PUBLIC...FLOOD WATCH 145. MARINE...NONE. FIRE WEATHER...NONE. LUDWIG MAY 13
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Gulkana River gauge at Sourdough Creek (GRSA2) entered June in flood stage and did not recede under action stage until the morning of June 12th. This continued to impact the Sourdough Creek BLM campground from the ice jam flood documented in May.
The Gulkana River gauge at the Paxon Lake outlet (GPOA2) was in flood stage when June began due to snow melt. It gradually receded to below flood level around the 21st of June. The flood on this section of the river also damaged buildings and a bridge at the Gulkana Fish Hatchery on June 10th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, June 2013
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: 463928, 463973.