Chena River flood advisory extended through Sunday as crest forecast rises

Updated on September 18, 2026 at 8:07 pm: The National Weather Service extended the Chena River flood advisory from Saturday morning to 10 pm Sunday, raised the forecast crest below Moose Creek Dam from 25.0 to 25.1 feet and cancelled the broader flood watch. Alaska News rechecked the official alerts at 8:07 pm and revised the headline, article, excerpt and TL;DR.

The National Weather Service has extended a flood advisory for the Chena River basin through 10 pm Sunday as high water continues through the Fairbanks, Badger and North Pole area.

Below Moose Creek Dam, the river stood at 24.4 feet at 3 pm Friday, one-tenth of a foot below flood stage. NWS now forecasts a crest near 25.1 feet at 4 am Saturday, six-tenths of a foot above flood stage and one-tenth higher than its earlier forecast.

Forecasters said Chena and Little Chena river levels were running near-record to record for this time of year after 1.5 to 3 inches of rain fell across the basin this week. Minor flooding remains possible in low-lying and poorly drained areas, and some low-water crossings may become impassable.

NWS cancelled the broader flood watch at 3:59 pm Friday. That cancellation did not end the more targeted flood advisory covering the Chena River basin from Moose Creek Dam to the end of Chena Hot Springs Road.

The Chena near Two Rivers was at 19.7 feet at 3 pm Friday, two-tenths above its 19.5-foot flood stage. NWS said levels there and below Hunts Creek had crested and would gradually recede over the coming days.

"Turn around, don't drown, when encountering flooded roads," the advisory said.

The Moose Creek Dam is part of the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project, built after the 1967 Fairbanks flood to limit flows through the city. Current river levels are available at water.noaa.gov.

Alaska News has followed the system from the initial rainfall forecast through the earlier regional flood watch.