Heavy rainfall contributed to a nearly 8- foot rise in water level of the Stikine River between Aug. 9 and 11.
PETERSBURG – Even to those well adjusted to Petersburg weather, the downpour of rain in the past weeks hasn't gone without notice.
So far two days this month have set new precipitation records. National Weather Service data showed some 1.97 inches of rain fell on Petersburg last Saturday and 3.25 inches fell on Sunday, breaking previous precipitation records for those respective days in August. The normal average rainfall for each day is 0.20 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
The all time daily precipitation record for the month of August was August 20, 2011 when 4.54 inches of rain fell.
Heavy rainfall also contributed to a nearly 8 feet rise of the Stikine River between Aug. 9 and 11. The gage height of the river went from 15.20 to 23.3 feet according to the U.S Geological Survey's (USGS) website. The discharge, or volume rate of water flow, increased from 82,000 to 186,000 cubic feet per second over the same time period.
Troy Thynes, Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist, said that the rainfall mixed with fog has caused some complications for the aerial survey techniques ADFG staff use to assess the number of fish present in various river systems.
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