The city of Alaska, the capital of Alaska, on Wednesday faced a record flood waters from a basin cursed by Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska, which released a “outbreak flood”, which threatened parts of Juno.
Water level in Mendenhall River reached unprecedented heights in the morning and before falling local time, about 7:15 pm, National Weather Service SaidAccording to the forecasts, at its peak, the river flood phase rose to 16.65 feet, the top of the previous record of 15.99 feet last year.
Some Juno residents in the flood area vacated on Tuesday, guiding the authorities, who warned the community: “Don’t wait tonight.”
On Tuesday morning, officials confirmed that with the expectation of floods in Wednesday, the water had to escape from the snow dam.
USGS/Handout via Reuters 
Mendenhall Glacier is about 12 miles from Juno, is home for 30,000 people, and Alaska’s capital is a popular tourist attraction due to close access to proximity and easy access to trailing travelers from the city. The houses on the outskirts of the city are within the mile of the Mendenhall lake, which sits under the glacier, and many front Mendenhall River, in which glacier outbreaks are flowing.
The National Weather Service said that floods are expected by 8 am local time on Wednesday. Later, the NWS said that the peak was probably about to be around 8 am local time.
Meteorologist Nicole Ferin, the weather service, said at a news conference on Tuesday, “This will be a new record, based on the information we have.”
Floods from the basin have become an annual concern since 2011, and have swept away in homes in recent years and have mounted hundreds of houses. Government agencies established temporary obstacles this year, which was hoping to protect several hundred houses in the flood sector from comprehensive damage.
Floods occur because a small glacier retreated near Mendenhall Glacier – A Caste of warming climate – And a basin left, known as a suicidal basin, which is filled with rain water and snowfall in each spring and summer. When the water creates enough pressure, it forces its way under or around the snow dam built by the Mendenhall Glacier, enter the Mendenhall Lake and eventually flows under the Mendenhall River. As it did it on Tuesday,
According to the National Weather Service, before the basin overtopting begins, the water level was rising rapidly – 4 feet per day.
The city saw floods in the records of gradual years in 2023 and 2024 – last August, 15.99 feet away with the river, a year ago, about one foot in about a foot of the previous record – and the flood spread into the Mendenhall Valley in the flood. Weather Seva said that this year’s flood was predicted between 16.3 and 16.8 feet, but then said that there was more probability of 16.75 feet.
Last year, around 300 residences were damaged.
Video posted on social media Two years ago, trees behind a house were shown, which fell into the Mendenhall River, as the bank had eaten water. Eventually, the tettering at home, shore, also fell into the river.
According to the Center of Alaska South -East and Alaska Climate Adaptation Sciences, a large outbreak can release about 15 billion gallons of water. This is equal to about 23,000 Olympic sized swimming pools. Researchers say that during last year’s floods, the flow of the Mendenhall River was half about Niagra Falls.
City officials responded to concerns from property owners this year, working with the state, federal and tribal institutions and set up a temporary levy to set up a temporary levy with about 2.5 miles of river in an attempt to prevent widespread floods. Emergency manager Ryan O’Shugheni said that 10,000 “Hesco” obstacles are essentially huge sandbags that are to save more than 460 properties completely during the 18 -foot flood incident.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is at the beginning of what is the process of one year to study the conditions in the region and examine options for a more permanent solution, such as a levy. The timeline has angered some residents, who say it is unfair.
According to researchers at the University and Science Center, the Madenhall acts as an ice dam to seal the glacier basin, until flood floods are expected to continue.
