Flood

Just hours after residents reported ice moving out in Aniak on Wednesday (April 30) evening, a large run arrived from upriver and jammed up just below the community. As of Thursday (May 1) evening, no flooding had been reported.

The pace of breakup remains around five days ahead of the normal schedule, though widespread low water could still lead to ice jams, according to a hydrologist with the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center.

Just five days after the official start of breakup in Nikolai, social media reports confirmed the ice had gone out more than 200 miles downriver in Sleetmute and Red Devil. According to the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center, that puts breakup around five days ahead of schedule.

Amid the ongoing flooding, Kwigillingok’s tribe received a rare federal disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for damage wrought by another flood event in August 2024.

On Jan. 2, the Native Village of Kipnuk became the second ever tribe in Alaska to receive a federal disaster declaration, according to FEMA. The first went to Wrangell’s tribal government following the deadly landslide there in 2023.

UPDATE: Flood warnings have been issued for both Yukon Delta and Kuskokwim Delta communities through Oct. 22

Widespread rain and gale force winds are expected for Southwest Alaska through the weekend.

Residents of low-lying villages in Alaska know exactly where their communities are most prone to flooding, but that information hasn’t always been accessible on a wider scale. New research helps compile on-the-ground flood observations to help communities and outside agencies prepare for and predict future floods.

A Kongiganak tribal administrator said “it seemed like we were in the ocean looking around our village during the flood,” referring to the second and most powerful of three storms to rock the region.

While high water is predicted for coastal Yukon Delta communities, meteorologists say the brunt of the storm is likely headed for the southern edge of the Seward Peninsula.