Alaska, 2013

Flooding in Alaska, May 25 to 26, 2013

May 25 to 26, 2013 · NWS AFG · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Rapid snowmelt at higher elevations of the Salcha River basin caused levels to rise rapidly producing minor flooding along the river. The event likely began on the upper stretch of the river during the morning of the 25th, and concluded at tle lower end of the river entering the Tanana River around noon on the 26th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

Rapid snowmelt at higher elevations of the Salcha River basin caused levels to rise rapidly producing minor flooding along the river. The event likely began on the upper stretch of the river during the morning of the 25th, and concluded at tle lower end of the river entering the Tanana River around noon on the 26th. No structures were reported as impacted.

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 24, 1:00 PM AKST, 12 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 24, 1:00 PM AKST, 12 hours before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
200 PM AKDT FRI MAY 24 2013

.DISCUSSION...
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WITH EAST WEST AXIS CONTINUES TO BUILD INTO
EASTERN AND CENTRAL INTERIOR ALASKA THROUGH MONDAY AND CONTINUES
TO BUILD TO THE WEST THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. ON THE
SURFACE A LOW SOUTH OF COLD BAY WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH AND
WEST INTO THE SOUTHERN BERING SEA WHILE A WEAK TROUGH OVER THE
GULF OF ANADYR MOVES NORTHEAST. A LOW 300 NM NORTHWEST OF BARROW
WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST WHILE WEAK RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE
NORTH SLOPE. AREAS OF FOG WILL CONTINUE OVER NIGHT ALONG THE NORTH
SLOPE.

FORECAST FOCUS IS ON THE SUMMER LIKE TEMPERATURES AT THE SURFACE
ALONG WITH FREEZING LEVELS AT OR ABOVE 6500 FT ACROSS THE INTERIOR
THROUGH MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. WILL NEED TO MONITOR RUN OFF INTO
INTERIOR STREAMS AND SMALL RIVERS AS DEEP AND LATE SEASON SNOW
PACK STILL EXISTS ACROSS MUCH OF THE INTERIOR ABOVE 2500 FT.
SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS IN THE EASTERN AND CENTRAL INTERIOR WILL
BE RUNNING AT OR NEAR BANK FULL. RVS ISSUED THIS MORNING...WILL
NEED TO MONITOR FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR HEADLINES.

MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WITH
UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE PARKING OVER EASTERN AND CENTRAL
INTERIOR THIS WEEKEND AND EXPANDING TO THE WESTERN INTERIOR AND
WEST COAST THROUGH MIDDLE OF THE  WEEK.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
WARM AND DRY AIR MASS OVER THE INTERIOR WILL DROP MIN RH VALUES
INTO THE MID TEENS FOR ZONES 220 223 AND 224 WHERE RED FLAG
WARNINGS ARE HOISTED FOR TOMORROW. WINDS HOWEVER ARE EXPECTED TO
REMAIN LIGHT.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
THE ICE FRONT ON THE YUKON PASSED DOWN RIVER OF RAMPART AT 230 AM
THIS MORNING AND IS MOVING DOWN RIVER TOWARD TANANA. FLOOD WATCH
REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE YUKON RIVER FROM RAMPART DOWN RIVER TO
TANANA. AN ICE JAM FORMED THIS MORNING ON THE KUSKOKWIM JUST DOWN
RIVER FROM THE MCGRATH AIRPORT WHERE A FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN
EFFECT. A FLOOD ADVISORY FOR THE SNAKE AND NOME RIVERS ON NEAR
NOME WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE THIS AFTERNOON AS WATERS CONTINUE
TO RECEDE. RVS ISSUED THIS MORNING FOR ZONES 222...223...224 AND
226 WITH CONCERNS WITH SMALL STREAMS AND RIVERS WATER LEVELS
INCREASING TO NEAR BANK FULL AS SUMMER LIKE TEMPERATURES CAUSE
MELT OFF FROM DEEP AND LATE SEASON SNOW PACK ACROSS THE INTERIOR
ABOVE 2500 FT.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
RED FLAG WARNING FOR AKZ220-AKZ223-AKZ224.

FLOOD WATCH FOR AKZ221-AKZ227.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ220-PKZ225.
&&

CCC MAY 13

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile

When
May 25, 1:00 AM AKST to 12:00 PM AKST
Where
Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile County, 126.6 mi WNW of Chicken to 126.97 mi WNW of Chicken
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
64.600, -146.000

Flood, Middle Tanana Valley

When
May 25, 12:00 PM AKST to 4:00 PM AKST
Where
Middle Tanana Valley County, 32.92 mi E of Eielson Afb to 32.15 mi ESE of Eielson Afb
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
64.600, -146.000

Flood, Deltana and Tanana

When
May 25, 4:00 PM AKST to May 26, 10:00 AM AKST
Where
Deltana and Tanana County, Salcha to 8.8 mi S of Salcha
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
64.470, -146.970

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 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, May 2013

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: 455554, 455525, 455521.