Murkowski Hosts Breakup Forecast Roundtable

Statement

During the first full April weekend, it became official: southcentral Alaska had record-breaking snow this year. Now, as the mercury tops 50 degrees, spring break-up is in full swing and we're keeping a close eye on the water levels in communities across Alaska. To address some of the concerns Alaskan communities face during this time, I recently held a "Break-Up Forecast Roundtable Discussion" in Anchorage and invited representatives from the Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, National Weather Service and FEMA to share with Alaskans their knowledge of the issue and provide some additional insight into the flood potential for 2012. We live-streamed the event over the web so that every Alaskan could watch the event and ask questions via Facebook or Twitter.

Over the coming weeks, the National Weather Service's River Watch program will monitor Alaska's waterways and will provide a good resource for concerned residents. With this year's winter's temperatures fluctuating rather dramatically from month to month, hydrologist Scott Lindsey from the National Weather Service said that forecasters are calling for "above average flooding."

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