Evacuations urged in Juneau as glacial outburst flooding appears imminent

Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News on Aug 12, 2025

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Authorities in Juneau, Alaska, on Tuesday morning issued an evacuation alert for residents in the potential path of flooding from a glacial outburst.

Officials are warning residents in the 17-foot-level inundation zone to evacuate the area until an “all clear” is received, according to an alert issued at 9:15 a.m. by the City and Borough of Juneau and Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. A flood map shows scores of homes in the area.

“A glacial outburst has occurred at Suicide Basin,” the alert states. “The basin is releasing and flooding is expected along Mendenhall Lake and River late Tuesday through Wednesday.”

Laser gauge data from the basin as well as lake levels indicate the release has started, according to a National Weather Service flood warning issued Tuesday morning. The agency said a crest was expected around Wednesday afternoon near record levels between 16.3 and 16.8 feet.

For the past two summers, an ice dam in the basin has burst near the Mendenhall Glacier, sending billions of gallons of water downstream. Last year, almost 300 homes were impacted by unprecedented flooding. The year before, homes were also washed away by the rapidly rising waters.

As climate change causes Alaska’s glaciers to recede, the basin formerly filled with ice now fills with rain and meltwater each summer. The basin sits about two miles from the foot of the glacier at the end of Mendenhall Valley, where most Juneau residents live.

Local authorities say they hope that HESCO flood barriers placed after last year’s destructive flooding will stave off destruction this summer but that remains to be seen.

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