Juneau residents get all clear after glacial lake outburst sent debris-filled water rushing down Alaska river
How To Watch Fox Weather
According to the National Weather Service office in Juneau, the Mendenhall River at Auke Bay crested at a record 16.65 feet at 7:15 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
That now makes this event the largest glacial lake outburst flooding on record. Last year's event, which took place between Aug. 3 and Aug. 6 was the previous record when the river crested at 15.99 feet.
Download The Free Fox Weather App
According to the City and Borough of Juneau, the flood threat from Suicide Basin ended on Wednesday evening when floodwaters receded from local roads. However, officials said the Back Loop Bridge would remain closed until safety inspections could be completed.
Areas of the city that had been evacuated were reopened to residents only, and while conditions have been gradually improving, impacts continue.
City officials said they would be holding a special assembly meeting on Friday to discuss a resolution declaring a local emergency in response to the 2025 glacial outburst flood and a request for state and federal assistance.
In addition, the Juneau School District said it would remain closed on Thursday at all JSD locations.
"Delaying the start of school by one day will also allow Unified Command staff and safety crews to assess damage in the Valley area," officials said.
City officials said crews will continue to move through affected areas of Juneau to assess damage and other impacts from the glacial lake outburst flood event.
"Please continue to use caution around damaged areas and avoid riverbanks," city officials said. "Do not drive through standing water. In addition to posing a safety hazard, driving generates waves that cause additional damage to nearby structures."
Suicide Basin is a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier above Juneau.
Since 2011, the NWS said Suicide Basin has released glacial lake outburst floods that caused inundation along Mendenhall Lake and River annually. Prior to this event, the last release occurred on Oct. 20, 2024.Original article source: Juneau residents get all clear after glacial lake outburst sent debris-filled water rushing down Alaska river
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Red Cross delivers aid from Green Bay to flooded Milwaukee neighborhoods
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – The American Red Cross of Wisconsin is providing shelter, supplies, and support to those affected by extreme flooding in Milwaukee and surrounding communities. Floodwaters have destroyed homes and displaced residents across the region. According to a press release from the Red Cross, on Monday night, Red Cross shelters at Holler Park and Washington Park Senior Center housed 23 people in need of a safe place to stay. Images courtesy of the American Red Cross, Wisconsin Region Local News Flooding forces temporary closure of Waukesha DNR office The release says that starting today, Red Cross teams will deliver clean-up kits to neighborhoods impacted by the flooding. An Emergency Response Vehicle loaded with supplies left Green Bay this morning for Milwaukee, where the items will be distributed to flood victims. Anyone needing shelter can go to Holler Park, 5151 S. 6th St., Milwaukee. Services include meals, water, blankets, phone charging, pet accommodations, and medical assistance such as replacing prescriptions, eyeglasses, or essential medical equipment. Shelters will remain open as long as needed. Donations, blood donations, and volunteers are needed with disaster relief. Visit or 1-800-RED-CROSS for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cana Island reopens to Door County visitors after storm
DOOR COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – A Door County landmark reopened to visitors on Wednesday after sustaining damage during the weekend storms. Officials estimate that Cana Island lost about 30 percent of its trees in the storm, creating a big mess for crews to clean up over the last three days. They also lost power on the island for an extended period of time. On Wednesday, crews had removed most of the trees and other debris opening up an opportunity to welcome visitors back to the island. An official tells Local 5 News they had about 520 visitors on Wednesday which is pretty typical for a weekday in August. Those who work and volunteer on the island said it's amazing to welcome visitors back. 'It is one of the greatest feelings on earth,' said Steve Cox, a volunteer who drives people to and from the island on his tractor. 'When I got the call that the lighthouse was going to be open, I was so happy. It was miraculous.' 'It was refreshing, it's nice to see that people are still interested in coming out here,' said Tyson Wickman, who is the visitor services specialist for the island. U.S. Venture Open surpasses fundraising goal for 2025 event with nearly $5.2 million raised to fight poverty Both Wickman and Cox were on the island on Saturday when the storm began to move through. They said it moved fast, and they were just able to get the last batch of visitors off the island before it hit. People took shelter in their cars and in a small garage that houses Cox's tractor. 'I had never seen trees crack halfway down, and I'd never heard the pop, pop, pop,' Cox said. 'I went through Hurricane Bo,b so it just brought back memories of that out in Maine,' Wickman said. Both men said there were multiple rounds to the storm. When it passed, everybody who had been on the island still remained stranded in the parking lot because trees blocked the roads leading out. 'And then something really amazing happened, and that was the support of the immediate community,' Cox said. 'Bringing us cold water, dry towels.' Cox said their main concern throughout all of this was keeping their visitors safe and as calm as possible given the circumstances. It took about three days for crews to clear the island to the point where they could welcome back visitors safely. They also needed to wait until the power turned back on before they could reopen. Green Bay Police K9s head off into retirement in final 'Unleashed' appearance at Joannes Stadium 'Cana Island is a special place, it's a 156-year-old active lighthouse,' said Hal Wilson with the Door County Maritime Museum. 'One of the few you can climb and walk around the outside. People come from all over the world to come here. To turn them away is a shame, especially when they come from so far away. We really wanted to make it available, get the families out, get the kids laughing, and make it a fun place again.' The Door County Maritime Museum and Door County operate and maintain Cana Island. They have set up a GoFundMe to recoup some of the cleanup costs and the revenue they missed out on when they had to close down for three days. For those interested in contributing to the fundraiser, it can be found here. For the time being, visitors who come out to the island won't be allowed to walk in the woods and on some of the trails because there's still some cleanup to do there. The Door County Maritime Museum and Tyson Wickman provided the pictures and the cellphone video seen in this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rapid intensification? Hurricane forecasters say Erin's winds could skyrocket.
Tropical Storm Erin, now spinning far out in the central Atlantic Ocean, could undergo rapid intensification into a powerful 125-mph hurricane over the next few days, meteorologists said in an Aug. 14 advisory. This phenomenon can cause a tropical storm to escalate into a hurricane or a hurricane to jump one or more categories on the Saffir-Simpson scale in less than a day. An early Aug. 14 forecast from the National Hurricane Center said that Erin was forecast to undergo rapid intensification, but based on new data, a later forecast called for "steady" intensification over the next few days. "Erin is moving into an environment with very warm water temperatures, and it's not going to exit that environment for at least 5 or 6 days," said Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza in his Substack The Eyewall. "Erin should begin to tap into this environment over the next couple days, and it's possible that we see a burst of rapid intensification at some point." Regardless, the environment ahead looks ripe for Erin to become a powerful major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricane this weekend, and the storm is forecast to be nearing Category 4 strength as it turns into the western Atlantic early next week, noted WPLG hurricane specialist Michael Lowry in an Aug. 14 Substack post. Though not currently thought to be direct threat to land, Erin's waves are forecast to batter the East Coast with high surf and the threat of dangerous rip currents for beachgoers. What is rapid intensification? Why is it dangerous? Rapid intensification is a process in which a storm undergoes accelerated growth: The phenomenon is typically defined to be a tropical cyclone (whether a tropical storm or hurricane) intensifying by at least 35 mph in a 24-hour period. As of the 11 a.m. ET advisory from the hurricane center, a rise of 30 mph in 24 hours is expected. Whatever happens with Erin, rapidly intensifying tropical storms and hurricanes are especially dangerous because they can give the public less time to prepare and often catch people off guard, AccuWeather said. "Predicting a storm's peak intensity and its intensity at landfall is one of the most difficult aspects of weather forecasting, and a rapidly intensifying hurricane adds tremendously to that challenge," according to AccuWeather. What causes rapid intensification? "Rapid intensification occurs when a tropical storm or hurricane encounters an extremely conducive environment," Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said. "Typically, this environment consists of very warm water, low vertical wind shear and high levels of midlevel moisture." Such sudden spikes have been the hallmark of history's most fearsome hurricanes, Ken Graham, former director of the hurricane center and now director of the National Weather Service, told USA TODAY in 2022. Out of the nine hurricanes with winds of 150 mph or greater that struck the U.S. mainland over 103 years, all but one saw the explosion of force and power known as rapid intensification. What is the Saffir-Simpson scale? Hurricanes are measured by wind speed, with the higher categories on the Saffir-Simpson scale corresponding to more intense storms. Here's the full scale: Category / Sustained Winds: 1: 74-95 mph 2: 96-110 mph 3: 111-129 mph 4: 130-156 mph 5: 157 mph or higher This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane 'rapid intensification' worries return with Erin
