A storm brought strong winds and historically heavy rains to Ketchikan Sunday, prompting the closure of the Third Avenue Bypass, one of the town’s main thoroughfares, for more than 24 hours.
The Ketchikan International Airport recorded more than 6 inches of rain Sunday, shattering the daily record set during World War I. Grant Smith is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“6.38 inches of rain fell, which broke the old record for Dec. 1, which was set back in 1915. And the old record was 5.33, so broke it by an inch,” Smith explained. “Lots of heavy rain down there in Ketchikan.”
That much rain falling over a short period, combined with high winds, led city leaders to assess the safety of the bypass, which was closed for several weeks after August’s fatal landslide came down over it. Amanda Robinson with Ketchikan’s public works department said they received reports of turbidity in the rain runoff coming from the slide area above the bypass.
“Which means that there’s some mud and some darker runoff,” Robinson said. “That’s one of the signs that could indicate that the slope is not as stable.”
Robinson said there haven’t been any new slides in the area, but now that they know it’s possible, the city is taking a cautious approach. She said residents should be prepared for occasional closures like this going forward.
“You can’t predict what’s going to happen. There’s no indication, yes or no, that another landslide will happen,” Robinson said. “But we do know the ingredients that could cause one, and if they’re all present, then we’re going to err on the side of caution.”
The city sent a notice Monday afternoon that the bypass would reopen as of 4:30 p.m.
Residents are encouraged to sign up for Nixle alerts by texting the Ketchikan zip code (99901) to the number 888-777. The program sends important community alerts, like road closures, to residents’ cell phones or emails.
