Suicide Basin is a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier above Juneau, Alaska. Since 2011, Suicide Basin has released glacier lake outburst floods that cause inundation along Mendenhall Lake and River annually with a record major flood event taking place on August 6, 2024. The latest release took place on October 20, 2024. Monitoring Equipment Status: The USGS monitoring equipment is up and running. We will get one image from each of the 2 cameras per day. The USGS laser sensor data is active. There can be jumps or drops in the data from large ice bergs movement within the laser field of view. Current Basin Status: Wednesday, 6/18/2025 at 11am. As of June 18th, the laser level of the water level within the basin is reporting around 1144 feet. For reference the laser data last year was reporting 1165 feet. Compared to 2023 levels, the basin was around 1257 feet which is over 100 feet higher than the current level. These differences are due to the cold spring/early summer time temperatures. Freezing levels remained 3000 to 4000 feet through the spring and early summer time but are now around 7000 feet. These high freezing levels will increase the melt of snow and ice on the icefield and the water input into the basin. Check back for more updates on and how the conditions within the basin are changing. |
Visit the Juneau Glacial Flood Dashboard to learn more about Suicide Basin and flood impacts including: inundation maps, forecast data basics, history, and other FAQ! |
Latest Basin Image - ScalesMost recent image from the basin, updated at daily to sub-daily intervals (see time-stamp bottom right). The camera is placed at the basin entrance and faces northeast, into the basin. Click on image to enlarge and read basin levels. Click on the links below the image to see a full-season viewer or recent timelapse. |
Latest Basin Image - VectorsMost recent image from the basin (same as on the left) with vectors indicating ice motion direction and magnitude. Click on image to enlarge. Click on the links below the image to see a full-season viewer or recent timelapse. |
Latest Basin Image - Front of BasinMost recent image from the camera taking images with a view of the front of the basin. This image will be updated at daily to sub-daily intervals. Click on the image to enlarge. Click on the links below the image to see a full-season viewer or recent timelapse. |
Suicide Basin Level (Pool Height)Graph showing the current (blue) pool height of Suicide Basin. Click on the image for more details (NWPS). At this time, values are from the USGS laser detection system. |
Mendenhall Lake Stage LevelGraph showing the current (blue) and predicted (purple) stage level at Mendenhall Lake. Stage levels are annotated on the left y-axis on the graph. The graph also shows the Mendenhall River discharge (right y-axis), which is derived from the Mendenhall Lake stage level via rating curve. Click on the image for more details (NWPS).
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Mendenhall River Stage Level @ Backloop BridgeGraph showing the current (blue) stage level of the Mendenhall River at the Backloop Bridge. Stage levels are annotated on the left y-axis on the graph. Click on the image for more details (NWPS).
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Mendenhall River Stage Level @ Pedestrian BridgeGraph showing the current (blue) stage level of the Mendenhall River at the Pedestrian Bridge. Stage levels are annotated on the left y-axis on the graph. Click on the image for more details (NWPS).
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