Fairbanks is closing out one of its soggiest Septembers in more than a century, with rainfall totals climbing past 279% of the monthly average and a flood watch still in effect for the Chena River Basin through the weekend. A storm system pulling moisture up from a Pacific hurricane broke a 101-year-old daily rainfall record on Sept. 15, dropping 0.46 inches and edging out the previous mark of 0.42 inches set back in 1925.

Rainfall for the month had reached nearly four inches by midweek, enough to place this September among the city’s wettest years measured to date. The persistent moisture has kept river levels elevated across the Interior, with the National Weather Service warning that saturated ground could lead to pooling and ponding in low-lying areas even away from the rivers themselves.

Minor flooding remains the primary concern along the Chena River Basin, stretching from the Moose Creek Dam to the far end of Chena Hot Springs Road. Forecasters say water levels should gradually recede as rain tapers off toward the weekend, though residents in flood-prone areas are being urged to stay alert to updated advisories.

Skies are expected to dry out gradually as the week wraps up, giving the waterlogged region its first real break in weeks — though officials caution that ground saturation means any additional rainfall could quickly reignite flood concerns.