If you're camped on a Susitna gravel bar this week, watch the river

Up to 3 inches of rain is about to hit the Susitna Valley, and the gravel bars everyone camps on are exactly what floods first. Maybe move the tent.

The low, sandy spots that make the best riverside campsites along the Susitna drainage are also the first to go underwater — and this week, a lot of rain is headed their way.

The National Weather Service expects 1 to 3 inches across the Susitna Valley through midweek, heaviest in the north and west. Smaller streams should crest Tuesday night into Wednesday; the larger Skwentna and Yentna rivers are set to peak Wednesday into Thursday.

For anyone fishing, boating, or camping out there, that's what matters: the gravel bars and lower riverbanks people pitch tents on could flood as the water comes up.

Forecasters are fairly confident the heavy rain is coming, less sure exactly how much and where — and if the totals climb, flood watches or warnings could follow. The same system is expected to reach the Denali Borough and eastern Alaska Range starting Tuesday, where smaller rivers could rise fast as well.

If you're on or near these rivers, keep an eye on the forecast. River conditions can be reported to the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center.