Flood danger eased late Thursday in Juneau after the release of water from a glacially dammed lake.
The National Weather Service said the Mendenhall Lake water level crested at about 11 feet late Thursday, 2 feet above flood stage, and dropped overnight.
At 10:15PM Mendenhall waters in #Juneau were at 9.4 ft & continue to drop around 3.5 in./hr. The flood warning has been cancelled as the significant flooding earlier is over. Only nuisance flooding remains Thu evening. #akwx
— NWS Juneau (@NWSJuneau) July 20, 2018
.@KTOOpubmedia .@800KINY .@JuneauEmpire .@cbjuneau pic.twitter.com/ShWHmvKlz7
Weather Service meteorologist Jessica Voveris in Juneau says within 12 hours the water level had dropped to about 7.5 feet.
The City and Borough of Juneau says that at 10.9 feet, one street near the Mendenhall River becomes impassable and some homes could be flooded.
On Thursday, the U.S. Forest Service said it had evacuated a campground and advised people to stay away from the West Glacier and Nugget Falls trails.
Nugget Falls, which tumbles down toward Mendenhall Lake, is a popular destination for cruise ship passengers.
Mendenhall Lake is flooding todayA Glacial Outburst Flood is filling Mendenhall Lake with water and at 8:15am the level was at 9.2 feet. A normal lake level is about 4 or 5 feet. The National Weather Service expects the lake to continue to rise all day and reach almost 12 feet late tonight. Nugget Falls Trail is flooded already, but other trails are open near the Visitor Center. Across the lake however, the road by Skater's Cabin is closed, the campground is being evacuated, and lake tours are being canceled. 3pm update: Water level is approaching 11 feet and still rising. Photo Point bridge will likely be covered in water tonight.
Posted by U.S. Forest Service - Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Thursday, July 19, 2018