Flash Flood in Alaska
Every flash flood event the National Weather Service has filed in Alaska, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flash flood episodes in Alaska.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 44
- Deaths
- 6
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $21 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Flash Flood and Debris Flow in Alaska, August 18 to 19, 2015A strong front moved through the Panhandle on the morning of Tuesday August 18th. This system had abundant amount of moisture associated with the cold front as the system originated from the North Pacific and was able to tap into tropical moisture.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, May 7 to 11, 2002A breaking ice jam on the Stony River, and the inflow to the Kuskokwim River contributed to significant river rises at Sleetmute and Red Devil by the 7th of May. This resulted in execution of an evacuation plan at Red Devil.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, July 10 to 12, 2022Upslope flow combined with a very moist airmass caused training thunderstorms to form along the Alaska Range. The rainfall associated with these thunderstorms caused significant rises to small creeks draining the Alaska Range.
- Flash Flooding and High Wind in Alaska, October 20 to 27, 1998Flooding occurred along the Taiya and Skagway Rivers due to heavy rain over Oct.19-20. The Haines ASOS measured 4.40 inches of rain in 24 hours. A Park Service Campground near Haines was flooded, and the highways along the rivers near Skagway were damaged due to erosion.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, May 7, 2002An ice jam caused the Nushagak to rise quickly about 3:30 am, putting homes in Ekwok under as much as 2 feet of water and flooding the power plant and bulk fuel storage areas. The flooding destroyed smokehouses and fish drying racks and damaged homes near the river.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Alaska, July 27 to 31, 2003Record rainfall occurred over the central interior of Alaska in late July bringing rivers and streams above their banks. Rainfall amounts of one to three inches fell in the Denali area.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, July 23, 2002The West Creek flood inundated the small, remote community of Dyea on this date. A 700-foot high moraine above the West Creek Glacier collapsed during the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 23rd.
- Flash Flood and Flood in Alaska, May 26 to 31, 1998Rain (26th-27th, and 30th-31st) over the northern Koyukuk Valley and northwest Upper Yukon Valley combined with rapid snowmelt to cause flooding on the Koyukuk River and the Chandalar River. High water on the Chandalar River at Venetie caused flooding of the sewage pond.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, December 23 to 31, 1997Minor flooding occurred on the Kenai river downstream from Soldotna just below Big Eddy. The flooding was due to water backing up due to an ice jam. The jam formed in below zero temperatures, which created frazil ice.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, August 14 to 15, 1997On Thursday morning, reports were received that significant rises had occurred on all tributaries draining into the Copper River.
- Flash Flooding in Alaska, July 17 to 21, 1999Frequent rains over the Brooks Range produced rises to bankfull on many rivers draining north toward the Arctic Ocean, as a few rivers Draining on the south side.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, August 12 to 13, 1997Heavy thundershowers in the Delta River headwaters, comibined with probable glacial burst, created minor flash floodinig along the Delta River and its tributaries.
- Flash Flooding in Alaska, June 7 to 8, 1998An unusually strong low pressure system moving north out of the central Pacific ocean brought high freezing levels and moderate amounts of rainfall to much of south central Alaska.
- Flash Flooding in Alaska, August 7 to 8, 1999Heavy Rains Friday night and early Saturday caused Streams to rise and produced several washouts on the Dalton Highway in the Brooks Range.Precipitation Amounts were: Coldfoot Deparment of Transpotation Camp: 1.3 inches (24 hrs)Atigun Remote Automated Weather Station 1.5 inches…
- Flash Flood and High Wind in Alaska, February 4 to 5, 2003A strong frontal system moving toward the area was preceded by strong southeast winds around Turnagain Arm and the Upper Anchorage Hillside.Unofficial wind gusts of 102 mph were recorded at Site Summit (just east northeast of the Anchorage Bowl) around 1 pm Tuesday.
- Flash Flood and Flood in Alaska, August 14 to 16, 2023A series of repeated heavy rain events in Anchorage caused flooding in various areas of the city. Each event caused additional severity of impacts as the ground and streams did not have sufficient time to dry out before the next heavy rain event.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, August 12 to 13, 1997Rain Monday night and Tuesday morning in the area caused substantial rises on rivers and streams around Cordova...including Eyak Lake and the Eyak River.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, August 13 to 14, 1997Heavy rains in the northern and eastern Copper River Basin Tuesday night and Wednesday caused a significant rise in water levels on the McCarthy Creek (in the town of McCarthy).
- Flash Flood in Alaska, July 1 to 2, 1998Heavy Rain from Thunderstorms caused washouts of the Dalton Highway, notably at 29.5 mile, (29.5 miles from Livengood) where the Dalton was reduced to one-lane travel until an Alaska Department of Transportation Maintenance crew repaired the road.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, July 12 to 13, 1998Several stationary showers and thundershowers over the Central area produced enough rain to cause minor flooding of Crooked Creek just east of Central , where about 150 feet of the road was restricted to one lane of traffic until repairs were made.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, July 23 to 24, 1998Heavy rains during the 23rd caused some mudslides on the Parks Highway south of Healy, and possibly on the road into Denali National Park. Short delays were imposed on traffic on the Parks Highway, but the highway was not closed.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, August 6 to 9, 1999One or more lakes in the headwaters of the Nelchina river, dammed by the Nelchina Glacier, apparently released around 8 am Friday. The Nelchina River drains into the Tazlina River at Tazlina Lake.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, October 17 to 18, 1999A flash flood watch was issued for streams on the Cook Inlet side of the Kenai Peninsula late Sunday based on reports of locally heavy rainfall reports (around 1 inch/6 hours).
- Flash Flood in Alaska, September 13 to 14, 1999Heavy rains Sunday night and Monday morning contributed to rapid rises on the Snow River, the Trail River and other streams draining into Kenai Lake. Local urban-type flooding around Primrose Road was reported, however this only affected a small area around the campground.
- Flash Flood in Alaska, May 25 to 26, 1999Thundershowers produced locally heavy rains which increased snowmelt as well, causing certain streams to go overbank, including Chief Creek and Bear Creek near mile 1358 of the Alaska Highway.
More
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.