Yentna River passes flood stage near Lake Creek as forecast crest is revised upward

The Yentna River near Lake Creek passed flood stage Monday afternoon, reaching the level at which the National Weather Service says water enters cabins at two lodges. The advisory issued at 12:45 p.m. Monday marks a shift from Sunday's flood watch, which said flooding was only possible; the new advisory states that flooding caused by excessive rainfall is now expected. No flood warning has been issued.

The gauge read 20.23 feet at 11:50 a.m. and 20.76 feet at 3:50 p.m., a rise of about an eighth of a foot an hour past the 20.5-foot flood stage. The advisory states that at 20.5 feet, "Anglers Inn & King Point Lodges will have water in several cabins." No report has confirmed whether water has entered the cabins.

The advisory puts the crest at around 20.9 feet for 10 a.m. Tuesday. The river gauge forecast, revised about an hour after the advisory went out, raised that to 21.07 feet at the same hour, inside the minor flood band. The advisory still carries the lower number. Past advisories for this gauge have said that between 21 and 22 feet, several lodges and resorts can have water in cabins, with water encroaching on main lodge buildings. Moderate flooding at the gauge begins at 22 feet, and the same gauge recorded 22.52 feet on the evening of Aug. 6.

The fall is forecast to be slow, reaching about 20.25 feet by late Wednesday. That keeps the Yentna at or above flood stage for most of two days. The advisory runs until 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Willow Creek at the Parks Highway is no longer forecast to reach flood stage. The gauge read 7.12 feet late Monday afternoon and is classified as not flooding, with a peak of 9.69 feet forecast for 4 a.m. Wednesday, below the 10-foot minor flood stage. The Skwentna River has moved the other way, from 40.12 feet toward a forecast 40.63 feet, above its 40.5-foot action stage. At 41.5 feet, water starts over low spots on the road serving about five houses near the active slough.

"Over the past 36 hours 1.0 to 2.5 inches of rain have fallen into the greater Susitna Valley drainage system," the reissued flood watch says, with another 0.5 to 1.5 inches expected over the Talkeetna Mountains. That watch covers Skwentna, Willow, Talkeetna, Trapper Creek and Petersville through 4 p.m. Tuesday.

River conditions can be reported to the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center at 1-907-266-5160.