- Record Breaking Glacial Outburst Flood
here in Juneau, Alaska.
3 weeks of heavy rains in the Juneau area have contributed to
a Glacial Outburst Flood. An ice dam on the Suicide Basin glacial
lake, held back by Mendenhall Glacier broke, and all the water
that was being held back by the glacier came down into the river
valley.
I was on a hike by the glacier and encountered rising water on
the trail. I waded through the extremely cold glacial water until
It got up to my knees. At that point, I couldn't see around the
trees to determine how much deeper the water got, or how fast
it was rising. The river crested at 15.99 feet. This happens
pretty much annually here, but this was the worst glacial outburst
flood on record. Evacuation orders were given to some residents.
This type of glacial-dammed lake outburst flood is also sometimes
known by the Icelandic term Jökulhlaup.
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- Read a news article about it here.
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