The Kenai Peninsula community of Seward is under a flood warning as Southcentral Alaska contends with persistent rainfall this week.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Seward on Wednesday morning that is expected to remain in effect through Friday afternoon, with the heaviest rainfall expected Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. Between 4 and 5 inches of rain had fallen in Seward by mid-morning Wednesday and additional rainfall of 2.5 to 3 inches was possible into Thursday morning, the weather service said.
The excessive rainfall is expected to cause flooding, especially in low-lying areas, according to the warning. The streams and creeks most at risk for high water include Bear Creek, Salmon Creek, Japanese Creek, Lost Creek and Scheffler Creek, according to the weather service.
“Overflowing poor drainage areas will cause flooding, especially near Seward and the surrounding area,” the warning states.
The flood warning encourages Seward residents to move to higher ground.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough’s Office of Emergency Management has responded to creeks in the Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area, and asked residents to use caution and yield to equipment operators in the areas of creeks and streams.
The City of Seward posted on social media that crews had responded to Lowell Point Road to clear the area around a waterfall there. Only local traffic is allowed on the road at this time, city officials said. Metro Alaska LLC, a concrete contractor in Seward, posted a video that shows large amounts of water rushing from the waterfall under Lowell Creek Bridge.
Posted by Metco Alaska LLC on Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Elsewhere in Southcentral Alaska, a flood advisory was in effect for the Yentna and Lower Skwentna Rivers in the Susitna Valley through Saturday afternoon. According to the weather service, minor flooding in low-lying areas and poor drainage areas is expected due to excessive rainfall. According to the flood advisory, observers reported “significant debris” on the Skwentna that was “impacting transportation” on the water. The flood advisory said additional rainfall of 2 to 3 inches was possible.
Rain was expected to continue today in Anchorage, with up to 3/4 of an inch of new rain possible. The precipitation is part of an atmospheric river of moisture flowing into Southcentral Alaska that will persist through the end of the week and bring widespread, moderate rain to the region, according to the weather service.