Kenai River below Skilak Lake Outlet near Sterling, AK
River level and flood forecast · Kenai Peninsula County
The river is 5.0 ft below flood stage (13 ft).
Forecast to hold near 8.0 ft through Thu, Oct 15, 6 AM.
Flow: 3,560 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 8:31 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Get flood alerts for this river
An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Kenai River below Skilak Lake Outlet near Sterling to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 16 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 14.2 ft |
| Flood stage | 13 ft |
| Action stage | 12 ft |
| Record crest (September 26, 2012) | 15.56 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 15 ftWater inundates the Kenai Keys neighborhood.
- 11.4 ftHigh water level -- Class II whitewater below Skilak Lake
- 10.4 ftMedium water level -- Class I whitewater below Skilak Lake
- 8.4 ftLow water level -- Class I whitewater below Skilak Lake
Highest crests on record
- 15.56 ft — September 26, 2012
- 15.16 ft — September 13, 2023
- 15.02 ft — August 14, 2009
- 14.03 ft — August 18, 2014
- 13.95 ft — November 27, 2002
Recent crests: 15.16 ft (September 13, 2023) · 13.2 ft (August 24, 2022) · 11.43 ft (October 7, 2021) · 13.07 ft (October 6, 2020) · 11.52 ft (August 9, 2020)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (SKLA2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.