Glacial lake outburst subsides, flood worries ease in Juneau

The National Weather Service canceled a flood warning Thursday night in the Juneau area.

The Weather Service issued the warning earlier for Mendenhall Lake and the Mendenhall River.

Water levels on the lake and river rose quickly, but declined even faster Thursday afternoon and evening, Weather Service meteorologist Rick Fritsch said.

Tom Mattice, the city and borough's emergency manager, said about 10 homes along the river had been in the flood area though not all were threatened. After a Thursday evening assessment, he said a couple of homes got water into their garages and some had water reach their foundations. He said he wasn't aware of any significant damage to home interiors.

By Thursday night, the water had "receded several feet in places," he noted.

Two spur roads that were closed earlier have reopened, Mattice said, but he cautioned the river was still "really high."

Lakes can form under, on top of or around glaciers, with the water being dammed by glacier ice or debris. Flooding occurs when that water, somehow, is let loose. Randy Host, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said this happens yearly on the Taku, and there are regular instances of it happening on the Mendenhall, too, but as "little blips." Nothing like this.

The situation developed rapidly. Val Horner said she called her friend, who lives in the area Thursday morning, after hearing about the flood warning. Her friend had no idea, looked outside and saw water near her deck.

"In over 30 years here, I've never seen water like this," said Horner, whose nearby home wasn't in any danger.

People parked along the highway to take photos above the rushing river. The curious trudged through water on the flooded closed-off spur roads, some without shoes, to get a better look, while kids splashed in the water, finding relief from the summer sun in the icy water.

Eliza Lane, 25, dipped in her toes.

"We're from Juneau so this is exciting news to us," she said. "Look how much water. That's crazy!"