Week of rains cause swollen riverbanks, road closures in Mat-Su

A week of showers combined with heavy rain overnight on Friday caused a number of roads in the Mat-Su to be closed due to water over the roadway, spanning from Wasilla to Talkeetna.

Mat-Su Borough staff has been actively monitoring the situation and are in direct contact with affected residents, as well as placing signage where appropriate, and are urging those out and about to use extreme caution when driving on roads that are experiencing water flowing over them.

Most of the affected roads lie near the Little Su River, including N. Sushana Drive, East Shorty Street, and North Moose Meadow Roads in Wasilla, which remained closed Saturday afternoon.

In Talkeetna, tourists and visitors were not deterred from enjoying a holiday weekend outing, even though several roads have been closed for several days, including East Main Street river access, which has seen the Susitna River breeching its banks almost all week. The Borough is also keeping watch on several roads in Willow, including Johnson Road and River-Aire Drive.

Meanwhile in Houston, the Little Su River was peaking on Saturday afternoon, spilling over the banks and a few roads. The river is expected to recede. A little more rain is expected tonight through tomorrow, but not enough to raise the river more.

The National Weather Service has issued a special statement saying that high water is expected to continue in the Susitna basin with high water levels expected to continue on the Susitna River and its tributaries through the next several days. This includes the Talkeetna, Yentna, Skwentna, Kashwitna and Little Su rivers and streams such as Willow, Montana and Moose Creeks.

Additional rainfall is forecasted for the remainder of the holiday weekend, though rainfall amounts are expected to be less than an inch is possible in the Talkeetna Mountains and northern Susitna Basin over the next several days, and will keep river levels elevated. Additional flooding is not expected at this time.

For more information, please visit www.weather.gov/afc