Fifteen flood warnings are active across five states — Alaska, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, and Washington — down from 20 yesterday as Alabama drops off the board. The declining count, however, masks a widening ice-jam emergency in Alaska and stubborn elevated stages across Louisiana’s Vermilion River basin.
Alaska: Kuskokwim Delta Joins the Yukon Under Threat
Yesterday’s Alaska story centered on Galena and the upper Yukon. Today, the National Weather Service has extended ice-jam flood watches deeper into the bush, covering communities across the Interior Kuskokwim Delta: Tuluksak, Akiak, Akiakchak, Kwethluk, Bethel, Napaskiak, Oscarville, and Napakiak. An ice jam has formed in the lower Kuskokuak channel at and just upstream of its confluence with the Akiak channel. Flooding from that jam is possible through Thursday morning, with creeks and streams at risk of rising out of their banks. Warnings remain active for the Yukon Flats and Middle Yukon Valley as well — Alaska’s flood-warning footprint has grown, not shrunk, since Wednesday.
Louisiana: Three Waterways in Minor Flood
The National Weather Service continues warnings for three southern Louisiana waterways. The Calcasieu River near Glenmora, the Vermilion River at Lafayette’s Surrey Street gage, and Bayou Vermilion near Carencro are all in minor flood, with minor flooding forecast to continue. The Surrey Street gage warning runs until early Monday; Bayou Vermilion near Carencro is expected to remain above flood stage through early Friday morning. Warnings cover Lafayette, Vermilion, St. Landry, St. Martin, and Rapides parishes — a wide swath of south-central Louisiana. Residents near the Vermilion drainage can check Lafayette weather for localized updates.
Indiana: Four-County Corridor Remains Elevated
Flood warnings persist across a four-county stretch of southwestern Indiana — Daviess, Gibson, Knox, and Pike — as rivers in the Wabash drainage basin have held above normal following recent rain events. No rapid improvement is indicated in National Weather Service guidance.
Missouri and Washington
Warnings remain active in both Missouri and Washington, though the geographic footprint has not expanded in the data reviewed. Both states have been part of this multi-state flood pattern throughout the week.
The National Weather Service advises all residents in affected areas to monitor updated forecasts and be ready to act on short notice. Those in flood-prone areas should not wait for rising water before relocating to higher ground — ice-jam releases in particular can produce rapid, uneven surges with little warning.