Ark-worthy weather

MAT-SU — Mat-Su Borough officials say rivers were high Monday, but not exhibiting major flooding, though concerns may return today.

“That’s all the good news is we’ve weathered that storm, so to speak,” Emergency Services director Dennis Brodigan said Monday afternoon. “There’s another bigger storm coming in tomorrow night and with the ground saturation and the rivers already running high, if indeed we get a substantial amount of rainfall we’re going to have a more substantial amount of flooding than we’re having right now.”

He said the most river swelling seemed to be in the Susitna Valley rather than the Matanuska Valley. Effected streams were Montana Creek, Willow Creek and Moose Creek.

The latter was running across Mile 6, Oilwell Road.

“Moose Creek has actually done a bit of erosion on the west side of the road. It hasn’t eroded the entire road so it’s still passable driving,” Brodigan said.

Willow Creek meanwhile had over run Johnson Road and Stinson Road.

“Both have standing water,” Brodigan said. “There are no residences back there. There are recreational cabins but they are unoccupied.”

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning through 4 p.m., Monday after more than 3 inches of rain fell in the Susitna Valley and Talkeetna Mountains in the 24 hours preceding the alert.

The NWS pegged Willow Creek at near minor flood stage with a morning reading of 9.95 feet, while Montana Creek was close to action stage at 6.8 feet.

The weather service also issued a flood warning for the Chester Creek area in Anchorage Sunday.

Larger rivers in the area were at low water levels due to recent cool temperatures, but are on the rise now as well, the weather service says.

The Susitna River at the Parks Highway Bridge has climbed nearly 2 feet since Saturday morning and as of late Monday afternoon was reading just below 17 feet.

Brodigan said the borough tends to have its usual suspects where flooding is concerned. In the Susitna Valley, it’s those rivers he mentioned previously.

“Down here it’s the Little Su River, which has been running high but is not problematic,” Brodigan said.

As for the Matanuska River, “That river’s been running high all year so it’s hard to say if it’s running any higher than it has been,” Brodigan said.

A borough press release from spokeswoman Patty Sullivan says the borough will continue to monitor the rivers. “The concern is a worst-case scenario of more rain in the mountains, which could lead to flooding in rivers, creeks (and) streams possibly affecting homes and roadways.”

Erosion is exactly what the higher-than-normal Matanuska has caused in Butte and Sutton this summer, threatening a handful of homes and actually sweeping at least two of them downriver. Sullivan and Brodigan said people who experience flooding and need emergency evacuation should call 911 immediately.

The flood warning is in addition to weather alerts previously issued for the Mat-Su Valley pertaining to high winds. Wind began Saturday afternoon, with gusts of 55 mph Sunday, and remains in the forecast through Tuesday. Rain is likely through Thursday.

A weather station on Marmot Ridge in Hatcher Pass recorded gusts up to 50 for most of Sunday evening. Today, wind is forecasted from the southeast at 15 to 30 mph, decreasing in the afternoon to 10 to 15 mph.

Matanuska Electric Association reported 250 to 300 customers were without power Sunday afternoon in the Butte, Bogard/Fishhook, Chugiak, Kepler/Bradley Lakes, Pittman/Meadow Lakes and Houston/Willow areas, according to a post on the co-op’s Facebook page.