Kuskokwim River at Bethel rises above minor flood stage in storm

Water pushed into low-lying areas of Bethel on Tuesday as the Kuskokwim River rose nearly a foot above minor flood stage. South winds gusted over 50 mph at the time.

The National Weather Service river gauge at Bethel, identified as BETA2, read 9.40 feet, according to data from the NWS Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center. Minor flood stage at the site is 8.5 feet. Action stage is 7 feet.

"Flooding in low lying areas in Bethel being reported Tuesday late morning with south winds gusting over 50 mph," Rick Thoman wrote in a Bluesky post Tuesday. Thoman is an Alaska climate specialist with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He spent about 30 years with the National Weather Service.

The same fall storm system moving into Alaska's western coast drove wind advisories in Southcentral. NWS Anchorage placed Anchorage and the southwest and northwest Kenai Peninsula under advisories for south winds of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts to 50 mph, until noon Wednesday. On the peninsula, the strongest winds hit the coast from Anchor Point north to Kenai and Nikiski. Forecasters warned of scattered power outages. Trees remain fully leafed and vulnerable, they said, and driving can be difficult for high-profile vehicles.

The delta has seen this before. Federal storm records show two Bering Sea lows flooded Akiak, Napakiak, Kasigluk, Tuntutuliak and Bethel in August 2024. Gusts reached 50 to 55 mph at the peak, and bank erosion in Napakiak came within 6 feet of the school. At least two houses flooded in Tuntutuliak. Some residents and traditional knowledge holders say the Kuskokwim has always run high in some years, even as delta communities lean more heavily on localized flood forecasting and climate services. Alaska News previously covered hydrologic outlooks naming 10 Kuskokwim Delta villages ahead of high tides earlier this month.