Flood in Alaska, May 23 to 25, 2024

Name: Flood in Alaska, May 23 to 25, 2024
Start: 2024-05-23T08:57
End: 2024-05-25T08:33
Location: Alaska

May 23 to 25, 2024 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

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: 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.

What happened

The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.

The 2024 spring breakup behaved generally more as thermal breakup of the Yukon River. In the eastern Interior, late April temperatures were warm, helping to deplete low elevation snowpack and degrade river ice across portions of the Upper Yukon River. Across the western part of the state, including the middle and lower Yukon River, breakup was slower due to a slow warmup of temperatures. This gradual warmup and large volumes of ice and water moving down the Yukon River to the Yukon Delta, resulted in a few ice jams and flooding on the Lower Yukon River.

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 23, 3:42 AM AKST, 5 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 23, 3:42 AM AKST, 5 hours 15 minutes before

Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
442 AM AKDT Thu May 23 2024

.SYNOPSIS...
The West Coast and Western Interior are wet and cool and will
remain so through the weekend. Numerous rain showers will
develop over the Interior Today, but the models are trending for
the highest pops to be over the Eastern Interior and higher
elvations north of Fairbanks. Some of these showers will be heavy
at times and expecting .50 to .75 inches of rainfall over the
Eastern Interior through Friday. The North Slope has near normal
temperatures along with coastal stratus and fog that will
continue into the weekend. Snow expected with several inches
possible over the Eastern Brooks Range Thursday night into
Saturday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

Upper Levels and Analysis...
The long wave pattern consists of a trough over the Bering and
Chukchi Seas, a ridge over the NE Pacific north over eastern
Alaska. A series of short wave troughs will move east across
southern AK from through the weekend, eventually pulling the long
wave east over Mainland AK by the weekend. This will change the
current warm Eastern Interior to cooler and wetter Thu into the
weekend, while the cool and wet West Coast remain so into the
weekend, and the North Slope has little change through Thu then
cools over the weekend.

Central and Eastern Interior...
Numerous rain showers will develop Today, but the models are
trending for the highest pops to be over the Eastern Interior and
higher elvations north of Fairbanks. Some of these showers will be
heavy at times and expecting .50 to .75 inches of rainfall over
the Eastern Interior through Friday. Showers persist into Friday
along with a downtrend in high temps through Friday. A chance of
thunderstorms also possible near the Alcan Border and to Fort
Yukon to Bettles this afternoon. Easterly waves will continue to
move over the southern Interior this weekend and early next week
with continued wetting rain chances for the Eastern Interior and
Eastern Alaska Range.

West Coast and Western Interior...
The Western Interior and West Coast is will remain wet and cool
through the end of the week. Showers will persist over the west
coast and inland areas around a low pressure center in the Bering.
A slight chance of thunderstorms over the western Interior this
afternoon as well. A short wave in the SW Bering will move over
the SE Bering on Thu, over SW AK on Fri, and into the Gulf of AK
on Sat. This will push a vertically stacked surface low east. A
stronger short wave will move from the High Arctic to near
Utqiagvik Sat night and then drop south over NW AK on Sun and over
SW AK on Mon. This will bring much cooler temps to the West Coast
Sun into Mon. Strong northerly winds will develop in the Bering
Strait late Fri night into Saturday with near gale force winds
over the water.

North Slope and Brooks Range...
Easterly winds will become stronger from Point Lay west to Point
Hope Friday into Saturday. A weather system will bring snow to
the Brooks Range Passes Thursday night into Saturday. Expect snow
showers to begin Thursday night and persist through Saturday
morning. Snowfall amounts around 2 to 5 inches with the heaviest
accumulations over the higher elevations of the Dalton Highway.
Northerly winds will increase to 15 to 25 mph on Friday as well
producing blowing snow and low visibility with the snow showers.

Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Scattered to numerous showers expected on Thursday over the
Eastern Intrior with cooler temps into Fri. Some of these
showers could be heavy at times. Expecting .50 to .75 inches
of rainfall over the Eastern Interior and Eastern Alaska Range
through Friday. Scattered to numerous showers possible on Friday
as well. Easterly waves will continue to move over the southern
Interior this weekend and early next week with continued wetting
rain chances for the Eastern Interior and Eastern Alaska Range.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...

Lower Yukon break-up continues as running ice and high water
remain at St Mary's, Pitkas Point and Mountain Village and a ice
jam flood watch remains for those areas through Thursday. The
break up front is now downstream of Mountain Village and will
likely get to the Yukon Delta at Alakanuk, Emmonak, Nunam Iqua and
Kotlik sometime between late tonight and Fri, bringing the risk
of ice jam flooding to those areas tonight through Fri. Flood
watches are out for all these areas.

The water levels along the Porcupine River at the Border rose to
record levels over the weekend due to heavy snowmelt. This high
water is expected to reach Ft Yukon on Wed, where it will
gradually fills sloughs and swales east of Ft Yukon and eventually
bring high water into Ft Yukon late this week with high water
continuing into next week. A flood watch is valid front this Wed
through next week Wed.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Flood Watch for AKZ825.
     Flood Watch for AKZ833.
PK...Small Craft Advisory for PKZ801.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ811-812-857.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ816.
     Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ817.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ850.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ851.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ854.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ858.
&&

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Yukon Delta Coast

When: May 23, 8:57 AM AKST to May 25, 8:33 AM AKST
Where: Yukon Delta Coast County, 2.29 mi NNE of Emmonak to 6.52 mi WNW of Alakanuk
Cause: Ice Jam
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 62.811, -164.477

An ice jam formed in the Yukon River Delta near Emmonak on May 23rd. Ice started moving at Emmonak at 4 am on Thursday, May 23rd, and then stopped, with ice blocked up from bank to bank. Water was rising fast at Emmonak and flooding low-lying areas, including the road to the airport. The airport was closed and the road to the airport was flooded with water too deep for cars or trucks to pass. The staff gage at the power plant reported 2 feet. No structures were reported as of 8 am Thursday, May 23rd. At 930 am on Friday, May 24th, a trained river spotter reported that an ice jam that had formed on the Yukon River near Emmonak on Thursday May 23rd remained in place and that flooding of low-lying areas in Emmonak was occurring, including the road to the airport. As of Friday morning May 24th, no structures were flooding in Emmonak. Emmonak was reported to be at the same water level as seen in the 2023 break up flood. At 11 am on Friday May 24th, an observer in Alaknuk reported widespread minor flooding was occurring and that the water had risen 2 feet since Thursday May 23rd. The observer reported that the road to the airport had 4 inches of water over it. Water levels at Alaknuk was reported to be 10 inches below the 2023 breakup flood. Water levels were receding and water was flowing by the morning of Saturday, May 25th. A Flood Watch was issued on May 20th and upgraded to a Flood Warning on May 23rd. The Flood Warning was cancelled on May 25th.

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

Every storm in Alaska in 2024 Every state in 2024 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, May 2024

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: 1200523.