Flood Watch Issued through Friday Morning for parts of the Susitna Valley

For the second time in recent weeks, the Upper Susitna Valley is under a flood watch beginning Tuesday morning. 

According to a statement from the National Weather Service, three to five inches of rain are expected to fall in the upper Yentna, Susitna, and Chulitna basins through Wednesday. 

The flood watch extends through Friday morning, and includes Talkeetna, Petersville, Cache Creek, as well as communities along the Yentna and Skwentna Rivers.

As of Monday afternoon, no local river gauges had reached action stage, one level below minor flood stage. 

In Trapper Creek and Petersville, Peters and Cache Creeks are expected to crest sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

The Yentna and Swkentna are expected to crest later between Thursday and Friday.

For Talkeetna, the National Weather Service says the combination of heavy rain and runoff from higher elevations could impact poor drainage areas, as well as areas already impacted by heavy erosion.  Water levels are not expected to be as high as during July’s high-water event.

Talkeetna Community Council is sponsoring a community meeting about riverfront erosion on Thursday.  According to the flyer announcing the meeting, officials from the Mat-Su Borough, State of Alaska, and federal partners will provide information to Talkeetna residents about recent erosion. 

The meeting will be held at 6:00 pm on Thursday at Denali Education Center’s Susitna Hall in Talkeetna.  More information is available at KTNA’s announcements page.