Flooding possible for Chena, Matanuska Rivers; No floods forecast for Upper Valley

Weekend rainfall has made it easier for firefighters to contain the McHugh Fire burning south of Anchorage, but has also raised flooding concerns in other parts of the state.

In the Interior, a flood advisory was listed for the Chena River, and some areas of North Pole were experiencing minor flooding as of Monday morning. In the Mat-Su Valley, rising river waters prompted concerns of flooding east of Palmer. No evacuation orders were made, but officials advised people living between Mile 13 and 15 of the Glenn Highway to be prepared to leave in the event the Matanuska River continued to rise.

In the Upper Valley, most monitoring stations show rivers and creeks well below flood stage. One exception is the Talkeetna River at the railroad bridge just outside of Downtown Talkeetna. There, the river was measured at the bottom end of “Action Stage,” meaning that the river is higher than usual, but not in flood stage. Forecasts from the Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center say that the river is expected to rise more over the next twenty-four hours, but the Talkeetna is currently projected to remain more than a foot-and-a-half below flood stage.