As rain continued to hammer down on the Fairbanks area overnight Wednesday into Thursday, the area notched a record as the second wettest September on record so far in 101 years, according to Fairbanks climate specialist Rick Thoman.
Thoman told the News-Miner Thursday that as of 11 a.m., the precipitation level at Fairbanks International Airport was 3.79 inches, surpassing the 2015 record of 3.74 inches in 2015.
Only a half-day before, at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Fairbanks was in fourth at 3.51 inches of rain for September.
The wettest September to date was 1925, with 5.61 inches.
“It was very soggy across Alaska in 1925,” Thoman said. He added that so far the 1925 record will be safe.
“It would not be impossible to break, but it doesn’t look like we have another big rain event for at least a week,” he said. However, he noted that “we will get more rain by the end of the month.”
Thoman said a couple of factors contribute to the soggy September. He noted that west-southwest winds moving into the Bering Sea have pushed a pressure system into the Central Interior, bypassing the Alaska Range.
In addition, sea surface temperatures in the North Pacific Ocean are above normal, causing seawater to evaporate into the air. All that moisture gets shunted toward Alaska.
“It’s getting rained out on top of our heads,” he said.
Flood alerts still in effect
The current weather system prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch through Saturday for the Chena River in the Fairbanks area.
A flood alert has been issued through Saturday for the Chena River Basin from Moose Creek Dam to the end of Chena Hot Springs Road, including Two Rivers. According to the flood alert, the Chena River near Two Rivers hit 19.4 feet at 10 a.m. on Thursday and was expected to crest at 20.1 feet around 10 p.m.
At Moose Creek Dam, the Chena reached 22.19 feet (5,050 cfs) Thursday morning. Levels are forecast to reach 25 feet (6,630 cfs) on Saturday morning and remain there Sunday.
The Little Chena River reported nearly 20 feet Thursday morning, with a forecast to peak at 21.34 feet Friday morning before dropping. The river levels near Two Rivers below Hunts Creek hit nearly 15 feet Thursday morning and are forecast to rise to 16.2 feet Friday morning before dropping.
The National Weather Service reported 4 to 8 inches of rain falling across the Chena basin. In Fairbanks, some pedestrian routes have been affected, such as the flooded bicycle path underneath Peger Road Bridge and the flooded route underneath Barnette Street Bridge in downtown Fairbanks.
Luke Butcher, the Fairbanks North Star Borough’s emergency operations director, told Alaska News Source Fairbanks that residents should “figure out alternate means of access to your property, definitely figure that out before the water comes up.”
Butcher said the borough will continue to track weather conditions. He advises that residents sign up for the FNSB alerts by texting “FNSBAlert” to 67283, which will be the borough’s first line of communication in issuing alerts.
According to the current river forecast, the Chena River at downtown Fairbanks was last reported at just over 6 feet, or 5,973 cfs, at 11 a.m. on Thursday. It’s forecast to go up to 8.8 feet (9,490 cs) this morning before falling back down.
“When taking a look at our current water levels, rivers are running at near to all-time record highs for this time of year around Fairbanks,” NWS stated. “Elsewhere across the state, expect rivers and streams to continue running high with additional rainfall.”
The National Weather Service and U.S. Geological Survey use eight water gauges to track the latest observations and forecasts for river levels.
The Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the Chena River Flood Control Project, has a mandate to operate the dam to keep river levels below 12,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) in downtown Fairbanks.
John Budnick, USCACE Alaska’s public information officer, said the corps continues to monitor the basin.
“We continue to monitor the basin and the decision as to whether our team goes into a 24-hour watch status will be made tomorrow (Friday) morning,” he said by email.
USACE hasn’t had to operate the dam since 2020.
Contact reporter Jack Barnwell at 907-459-7587 or jbarnwell@newsminer.com.
