Alaska, 2022Debris Flows and Flooding in Alaska, September 26 to 27, 2022
September 26 to 27, 2022 · NWS AJK · 5 events in 3 counties and zones
An atmospheric river moved out of the north Pacific into the Gulf of Alaska September 25th and started to impact the northern half of the Southeast Alaska's panhandle. This event brought in very high amounts of moisture, winds and very warm temps through September 27th.
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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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $94,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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.
An atmospheric river moved out of the north Pacific into the Gulf of Alaska September 25th and started to impact the northern half of the Southeast Alaska's panhandle. This event brought in very high amounts of moisture, winds and very warm temps through September 27th. These warm temps rose the freezing levels to be above 9 thousand feet to increase the amount of melt from glacier in headwaters of the Taiya River. Rain amounts from this event ranged from 3 to 5 inches in 36 hours. The heavy rain and high freezing levels produced significant amounts of runoff to cause moderate flood along the Taiya River near Skagway in Dyea and around the Jordan Creek area near Juneau from mid morning on September 26th through the morning of September 27th.
As the front moved through the area there was a wind shift in the afternoon hours of September 26th and with the ground very wet from the heavy rain caused a tree to fall which triggered a shallow landslide in downtown Juneau to damaged 3 homes. The heavy rain also triggered a landslide near mile marker 26 along the Haines Highway Monday afternoon and 2 near mile marker 31 along Glacier Highway in Juneau one around 1700AKST and then again in the early morning of September 27th.
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 Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 26, 5:15 AM AKST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 26, 5:15 AM AKST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion...CORRECTED
National Weather Service Juneau AK
615 AM AKDT Mon Sep 26 2022
.SHORT TERM.../ Through Monday night / As the surface low moves
northwards and onshore west of Yakutat this morning. The main
rain push is over the Northeast gulf coast in the morning and then
as front moves eastward the rain spreads into the panhandle Monday
afternoon and evening. Rain rates are expected to diminish headed
towards Tuesday and the front will be weakening in place. A wave
further south on Tuesday appears to close off to a closed feature
west of the west coast of Washington State a few hundred miles or
so. This will cut back on the amount of moisture being allowed to
stream northward into SE AK.
.LONG TERM.../Wednesday through Sunday/...Short break in weather
Wednesday as the early week system finally dissipates over the
Panhandle and ridging moves over the Eastern Gulf. This break in
weather will be short lived as the next low tracks eastward over
the Aleutians with associated front (possibly gale force) pushing
towards the Panhandle overnight into Thursday. This should be a
typical fall type front with moderate rain but still around one
year return intervals for 24 hours. However still some probability
of greater recurrence intervals, especially for the NE Gulf
coast. Beyond Thursday low confidence due to increased model
spread, mainly with potential wave development along the front by
Friday which would increased winds and rainfall amounts. By the
weekend there is little alignment with operational models.
&&
.AVIATION.../Until 12Z Tuesday/...Generally, mainly MVFR CIGs &
VSBYs will be present most of the time over the Panhandle as a
frontal system continues to push northeastward, the associated low
comes ashore just west of Yakutat by mid-morning, & continues to
move inland over the next 24 hours. Those CIG & VSBY values will
bounce down to IFR criteria, periodically, primarily during times of
moderate to heavy rain. Surface winds will be gusty over the
northern half of southeastern Alaska until they significantly drop
off in the afternoon. LLWS magnitudes up to 60 kt over the Northern
Outer Coast & northern Panhandle, including Yakutat, 45 kt for the
Icy Strait corridor, including Juneau, 50 kt for the central Outer
Coast, including Sitka, & up to 35 kt for the central & southern
Inner Channels & Southern Outer Coast are expected through mid-
morning. Then those LLWS values will diminish precipitously by the
afternoon.
&&
.MARINE...Gale force winds of 35 to 45 kt for coastal waters from
Yakutat southward along the coast. The frontal band slides east
through the afternoon and winds will diminish to Small Craft
levels around 25 kt, or less as the front moves eastward. Lynn Canal
this morning is anticipated to increase to Gale Force Monday morning
for 6 to 8 hours before it diminishes in the evening.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...A period of prolonged heavy rain for Southeast Alaska
will last through Tuesday. A flood watch remains in effect for
portions of the N half of the panhandle and Advisories were added
for the Taiya and Salmon River near Gustavus, see the latest
statement for more details. Larger basins like the Mendenhall and
the Chilkat will take an extra day to drain, even after the rain
lets up on Tuesday. Ensemble and deterministic guidance has been
indicating the likelihood of this event for several days now and
confidence is high that a prolonged heavy rain event will occur,
HOWEVER, rainfall amounts were lowered quite a bit. Frontal wave
features causing the heaviest precipitation to waiver east and
west during the event weakens forecaster confidence in the precise
timing and intensity of precipitation for any single given
location.
&&
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...Strong Wind until 10 AM AKDT this morning for AKZ317.
Flood Watch through Tuesday afternoon for AKZ318>321-323-325.
Strong Wind from 10 AM AKDT this morning through this afternoon
for AKZ318.
Strong Wind through this afternoon for AKZ324.
Strong Wind until 10 AM AKDT this morning for AKZ325.
Small Craft Advisory until 1 PM AKDT this afternoon for AKZ330.
MARINE...Gale Warning for PKZ012-022-042-043-051.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ011-013-021-031>034-036-041-052-053.
&&
SHORT TERM...Bezenek
LONG TERM....PRB
AVIATION...JLC
HYDROLOGY...Ferrin
MARINE...Bezenek
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/JuneauDebris Flow, Haines Borough
- When
- September 26, 8:00 AM AKST to 11:00 PM AKST
- Where
- Haines Borough County, 1.6 mi SSE of Klukwan to 1.93 mi SE of Klukwan
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 59.380, -135.878
During the early morning hours of September 26th a large landslide came down along the Haines Highway around 23 mile and blocked the highway. AKDOT was on site by day break to assess the situation and begin to clear the material. The highway was reopened by the afternoon. Six hour rainfall amounts ranged from 0.50 to as much as 1.75 at higher elevation. This is after the area had been experiencing heavy rainfall.
Flood, Taiya Inlet
- When
- September 26, 9:00 AM AKST to September 27, 7:00 AM AKST
- Where
- Taiya Inlet County, 3.72 mi NW of Skagway to 3.24 mi NNW of Skagway
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
- Coordinates
- 59.492, -135.366
The Taiya River began to rise from the heavy rain and ice melt in the early evening of September 25th with it going above minor flood stage of 16.5 feet by the early morning of September 26th. As the heavy rain persisted along with enhanced runoff from the warm temperatures in the headwaters the Taiya River rose rapidly right through the moderate flood stage of 17 feet and crested 18.84 feet in the afternoon hours of September 26th. The heavy rain moved passed the area in the evening and the river started to recede. The Taiya River went below moderate flooding by mid morning on September 27th and below minor flood stage in the early afternoon. The National Park Service closed the Chilkoot trail due to flooding impacts of thigh deep or higher swift cold water. There was also a significant amount of flooding that closed the Dyea campground along with a house in Dyea that was surrounded by 2 feet of water. There was some damage from erosion to the roads in Dyea, one in particular leading to the cemetery.
Debris Flow, Juneau Borough
- When
- September 26, 5:00 PM AKST to 10:00 PM AKST
- Where
- Juneau Borough County, 2.3 mi NNW of Douglas to 2.36 mi NNW of Douglas
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 58.300, -134.406
Around 1700AKST on September 26th there was a strong wind shift to the west after hours of strong southeast winds and heavy rain with 3 hour amounts of over 0.50 leading up to the event. The ground was saturated and the wind shift triggered a large tree to fall from steep terrain in downtown Juneau to produce a shallow landslide. The material hit 3 homes with one resting on the one below it. There was no one was injured but there was significant damage to the 3 homes that were impacted. The impact area was isolated with other residences in the area evacuated until the area was declared safe.
Debris Flow, Juneau Borough
- When
- September 26, 5:00 PM AKST to September 27, 8:00 AM AKST
- Where
- Juneau Borough County, 24.02 mi NW of Douglas to 24.13 mi NW of Douglas
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Property damage
- $19,000
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 58.530, -134.821
AKDOT respond to a small shallow landslide around mile marker 31 along Glacier Highway which closed the highway for a period of time. The slide was reported around 1700AKST which was was the front went through the area and there was very high rain rates of over 0.50 in 3 hours after more than 2 in the previous 24 hours. The heavy rain persisted overnight and another small slide came down very close to the location of the first one the previous day. AKDOT was able to clear the material in a few hours to have the road back open.
Flood, Juneau Borough
- When
- September 26, 10:00 PM AKST to September 27, 4:00 AM AKST
- Where
- Juneau Borough County, 9.85 mi NW of Douglas to 9.76 mi NW of Douglas
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- NWS Storm Survey
- Coordinates
- 58.367, -134.578
Jordan Creek in Juneau started to rise in response to the heavy rain through September 26th with it going over minor flood stage of 9.7 feet in the late evening hours. Water levels continued to rise at a fast pace from 12 hour rain of amounts of over 1.50 inches. The runoff from the heavy rain pushed Jordan Creek just above moderate flood stage and crested at 10.58 feet before receding below flood stage by the morning hours of September 27th. There was significant flooding of roads and parking lots around the Jordan Creek area and along Jordan Avenue. Some homes did put up sandbags to stop flood waters from coming into their homes with some water getting right up to other residences.
- Debris Flow
- A fast-moving slurry of mud, rock and debris, usually on a slope soaked by heavy rain or stripped by a fire.
- 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.
- Damaging Winds in New York, September 26, 202250 kt wind · 4 events
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds and Waterspout in Lake Erie, September 26, 20223 events
- Heat in Washington, September 26, 20223 events
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Gulf of Mexico, September 26, 20223 events
- Waterspouts in Lake Erie, September 26, 20222 events
- Wildfire in Texas, September 26, 20221 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: 1058907, 1059052, 1058926, 1058929, 1058950.