Headline:
Flood Warning issued October 2 at 6:50AM AKDT until October 3 at 7:45AM AKDT by NWS Juneau AK
Event:
Flood Warning
Urgency:
Immediate
Effective:
October 2, 2026 - 7:50am
Expires:
October 2, 2026 - 4:00pm
Description:
The Mendenhall Lake crested early Friday morning, and the Mendenhall
River will crest shortly. Flooding is ongoing, and is expected to
continue near Mendenhall Lake and River before coming to an end later
this morning as water levels decrease rapidly behind the crest.
* WHAT...Flooding caused by a glacier-dammed lake outburst continues.
* WHERE...The Mendenhall Lake And River near the Mendenhall Glacier
Recreation area, View Drive and below Back Loop bridge.
* WHEN...Until 745 AM AKDT Saturday.
* IMPACTS...Flooding of the area around Mendenhall Lake and along the
Mendenhall River is imminent or occurring. Water levels will
decrease now that the Mendenhall Lake has crested, and Mendenhall
River will crest through the next hour.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- At 648 AM AKDT, gauge data reports that the Mendenhall Lake has
crested, with the Mendenhall River to follow suit in the next
hour. Flooding continues near The Mendenhall Lake And River.
- The outburst flood forecast is based on an estimated volume of
water in the glacier dammed lake and an estimated release rate
based on previous events. The extent of water drainage within the
basin (partial or full) can vary widely between outburst flood
events and is a major source of uncertainty in the forecast,
particularly with regard to the peak flood stage.
- For Mendenhall Lake :
At 5:45am the stage was 10.18 feet, which was the crest.
Flood Stage is 9.0 feet.
Forecast: A crest of 10.18 feet occurred at 5:45am Friday
morning. Water levels exceeded moderate flood stage of 10 feet
around 5:00am Friday. Water levels will fall below minor flood
stage late morning Friday.
Impacts:
At 7.7 feet: Nugget Falls trail begins to flood near the beginning of
the trail. Along the Mendenhall River some sections will experience
bank erosion resulting in dangerous tree fall. These conditions could
make floating the river more hazardous with the higher water levels.
At 9.0 feet: Water starts to cover Skaters Cabin Road between Skaters
Cabin and West Glacier Trailhead, also water will flow into the
Mendenhall Lake Campground.
At 9.5 feet: Water levels up to 0.5 feet will cover Skaters Cabin
Road between Skaters Cabin and West Glacier Trailhead. Campsite 7
will be flooded with water starting to flow over the road between
campsites 8 and 9 in the Mendenhall Campground.
At 10.0 feet: Water levels will inundate Mendenhall Campground with
up to 3 feet of water covering low areas as well as up to 1.5 feet of
water covering Skaters Cabin Road. Portions of West Glacier Trail
will be impassable. Areas along View Dr will start to flood and cause
minor flooding of yards. Closure of pedestrian pathways beneath
Brotherhood Bridge and the trail system on the west side of
Mendenhall River during outburst events.
Instruction:
Stay tuned to further developments by listening to your local radio,
television, or NOAA Weather Radio for further information.
Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.
Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the
dangers of flooding.
The cold water temperatures can increase the threat of hypothermia
and lower the time required to cause hypothermia.
Area Description:
City and Borough of Juneau
Forcast Office:
NWS Juneau AK
Sender:
w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov