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Flood watch for Juneau thru Friday morning

July 19, 2018 – News

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning Thursday morning (July 19) through Friday morning (July 20) due to an ongoing glacier-dammed lake outburst on the Mendenhall River.

As of 10:15 a.m. Thursday, the Mendenhall Lake Level was at 9.63 feet. Flood stage is 9 feet. The added water from the glacier-dammed lake into the river system will result in continued river rises. According to the National Weather Service Juneau, the level is forecast to crest near 11.9 feet around 10 p.m. tonight (July 19), though “inherent uncertainty in initial glacial lake volume will result in varying crest height and timing.” Read the full flood warning weather statement here and keep track of the Mendenhall Lake level here.

Please keep in mind these impacts as stated by the National Weather Service: At 9.1 feet, water covers Skaters Cabin Road between Skaters Cabin Road and the West Glacier Trailhead. Water will also flow into the Mendenhall Lake Campground. At 10.9 feet, View Drive will be impassable and there will be significant flooding to some homes in the area.

Here’s advice from CBJ’s Emergency Program Manager Tom Mattice: Please do not stop or stand on Back Loop Bridge. Use extreme caution around riverbanks. They will be quite unstable. Extraction from the river at these speeds is nearly impossible. Please stay way back from stream banks.

Stay informed by regularly checking the Mendenhall Lake level and listen for flood alerts on the Emergency Alert System. Capital City Fire/Rescue is monitoring the situation and providing updates as needed on its Facebook page. For individuals not on Facebook, keep track of CBJ’s feed here.