Suicide Basin has begun draining and the annual glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) has started. The water level in the lake (see graph on the right) is dropping while the river level downstream is rising.
Residents of the 17ft lake level inundation zone are being advised to evacuate. See the Juneau Borough evacuation notice and Juneauflood.com for maps of the inundation zones. The NWS flood warning states: “A crest is expected around Wednesday afternoon near record levels of somewhere between 16.3 and 16.8ft.”
For a flood level of 17 ft, the following flood impacts are expected:
“….water will be overtopping the river banks and flooding into the homes around Wildmeadow Ln. Businesses in the Vintage Park Blvd area will be surrounded and potentially inundated by flood waters. Homes on Meadow Ln from Stikine St to Eagle St will be inundated with flood water. Water will be covering Tournure St from Riverside Dr to Columbia Blvd. Black Wolf Way and Pond Vista Dr will have water across the roads. All parts of View Dr will be covered by flood water.”
Water levels during the 2023 and 2024 GLOFs rose to 14.97 and 15.99 ft, respectively, causing severe damage to homes and other infrastructure along the river and in the Mendenhall Valley neighborhoods. This year’s currently anticipated water level of over 16 feet would set a new record. We will update this post as more information becomes available. Stay safe, Juneau!
Suicide Basin current conditions and links to gauges and additional information: https://www.weather.gov/ajk/suicidebasin
