Suicide Basin is a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier above Juneau, Alaska. Since 2011, Suicide Basin has released glacier lake outburst floods that cause inundation along Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River multiple times each year with a record major flood event in the summer of 2023.

Current Hydrologic Statements/Warnings:

    Flood Warning (updated) 

Current Status: 8/5/2024 at 9:15pm. A glacial release is currently ongoing. The Mendenhall River rose into major flood stage with the gage reporting 14.07 ft.
The current forecast remains on track for a crest of 15.7 ft around 1am early Tuesday morning. The forecast remains consistent with a near 100% release, similar to the 2023 event. 

While there is the potential for a partial release, it is impossible to forecast how much water will drain from the basin. Therefore our official river crest forecast of 15.7ft is the worst case scenario. We are working closely with our partners and analyzing all available real-time data during this event. Stay tuned to this page for official updates.

Sample of Impacts:

• 15 feet - Up to 2 feet of water will be covering Killewich Dr. Water starts to enter the backyards of houses along the south side of Marion Dr. Rivercourt Way, Lakeview Ct, Center Ct, Parkview Ct, Turn St & Northland St could have up to 1.5 feet of water over the road. Up to 1 foot of water covering Riverside Dr at Tournure St.
• 14.5 feet - Meander Way will be under 2 to 4 feet of water. Water will start to enter the lowest levels of several homes on Meander Way. Water will start to flow into backyards along Killewich Dr and onto Riverside Dr near Melvin Park. Significant flooding of multiple homes along View Dr.
• 13 feet - Water begins to flow through some backyards of homes on the northside of View Dr and flood low lying areas. Locations on View Dr will see depths of 1 to 4 feet of water in homes.

Images from the entire 2024 season can be viewed here.

If you missed the 6/3 townhall meeting with local experts explaining improvements to the monitoring and forecasting programs for the 2024 season, Click here to view the recording.

Here is the NWS summary report from the major flooding event from the Suicide Basin glacier lake outburst flood in August 2023.

Additional Information available:

• Mendenhall River Inundation Maps (Follow the link, then scroll down to Gauge Location, select Activate MNDA2 FIM Gauge)
• Historical release data from Suicide Basin
• Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center (AK CASC) Story Map "Hidden Water: The Suicide Basin Outburst Flood" 
• The Suicide Basin glacier outburst flood: 2023 and beyond (Recording of the Oct 27 2023 Evening at Egan)
• 2023 Season Time-Lapse Animations (Image and Vector)
• 2022 Season Time-Lapse Animations (Image and Vector)

Latest Basin Image - Scales

Most recent image from the basin, updated at daily to sub-daily intervals (see time-stamp bottom right). The camera is placed at the basin entrance and faces northeast, into the basin. Click on image to enlarge and read basin levels.

Full Season Viewer

Recent Timelapse (Last 15 Images)

Latest Basin Image - Vectors

Most recent image from the basin (same as on the left) with vectors indicating ice motion direction and magnitude. Click on image to enlarge.

Full Season Viewer

Recent Timelapse (Last 15 images)

Mendenhall Lake Stage Level

Graph showing the current (blue) and predicted (purple) stage level at Mendenhall Lake. Stage levels are annotated on the left y-axis on the graph. The graph also shows the Mendenhall River discharge (right y-axis), which is derived from the Mendenhall Lake stage level via rating curve.

Suicide Basin Level (Pool Height)

Graph showing the current (blue) pool height of Suicide Basin.  

At this time (7/10), values are from the laser detection system.

Alternate Basin Image

The USGS installed a second camera taking images with a view of the glacier-basin interface. This image will be updated at daily to sub-daily intervals. Click on the image to enlarge.

Full Season Viewer

Recent Timelapse (Last 15 Images)