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Kenai flood watch upgraded to warning

National Weather Service

  The National Weather Service has upgraded its flood watch for the Upper Kenai River to a flood warning, meaning flooding is now expected at the Primrose Campground, in Cooper Landing, and Skilak Lake and Kenai Lake.

The flooding is driven largely by an outburst from a glacier-dammed lake into the Snow River near Seward. Heavy rains will add to the flooding, according to Eric Holloway of the River Forecast Center in Anchorage.

"Models right now are predicting anywhere five to seven inches of rainfall over the storm period which is through Sunday," he said. "So it looks like the volume of water that we've been able to get from pilots is such that it's going to be increasing to above action stage, but then it's complicated by the fact that the rainfall is going to be coming in."

Water levels on the Kenai River below Skilak Lake will likely see a more moderate increase to bank-full conditions by early next week. 

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