Flood Warning

The second release from Suicide Basin is ongoing. Based on an observed earlier start time of water draining from the basin, the crest time for the Mendenhall Lake and River has been adjusted to early Friday morning. Minor to moderate flooding continues to be expected near Mendenhall Lake and River Thursday night into Friday morning.

* WHAT...Flooding caused by a glacier-dammed lake outburst continues.

* WHERE...The Mendenhall Lake And River near the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation area, View Drive and below Back Loop bridge.

* WHEN...Until 745 AM AKDT Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Flooding of the area around Mendenhall Lake and along the Mendenhall River is imminent or occurring. Water levels will, continue to rise and water temperatures will fall within the lake, and river.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 224 PM AKDT, gauge data reported a glacier-dammed lake outburst. Flooding is expected to begin shortly, especially near The Mendenhall Lake And River. - The outburst flood forecast is based on an estimated volume of water in the glacier dammed lake and an estimated release rate based on previous events. The extent of water drainage within the basin (partial or full) can vary widely between outburst flood events and is a major source of uncertainty in the forecast, particularly with regard to the peak flood stage. - For Mendenhall Lake : At 2:00pm the stage was 6.2 feet. Flood Stage is 9.0 feet. Forecast: A crest around 9.8 to 10.3 feet is expected between 5 to 9am Friday. Water levels will go above minor flood stage of 9 feet around 2am Friday. Water levels will reach moderate flood stage of 10 feet around 5 to 9am Friday. Water levels will fall below minor flood stage late morning Friday.

Impacts: At 6.7 feet: Nugget Falls trail begins to flood near the "causeway" at the end of the trail. At 7.7 feet: Nugget Falls trail begins to flood near the beginning of the trail. Along the Mendenhall River some sections will experience bank erosion resulting in dangerous tree fall. These conditions could make floating the river more hazardous with the higher water levels. At 9.0 feet: Water starts to cover Skaters Cabin Road between Skaters Cabin and West Glacier Trailhead, also water will flow into the Mendenhall Lake Campground. At 9.5 feet: Water levels up to 0.5 feet will cover Skaters Cabin Road between Skaters Cabin and West Glacier Trailhead. Campsite 7 will be flooded with water starting to flow over the road between campsites 8 and 9 in the Mendenhall Campground. At 10.0 feet: Water levels will inundate Mendenhall Campground with up to 3 feet of water covering low areas as well as up to 1.5 feet of water covering Skaters Cabin Road. Portions of West Glacier Trail will be impassable. Areas along View Dr will start to flood and cause minor flooding of yards. Closure of pedestrian pathways beneath Brotherhood Bridge and the trail system on the west side of Mendenhall River during outburst events.