The glacial flooding that sent residents of Alaska’s capital city scrambling this week has become an annual ordeal for those who live along the picturesque river that winds from the nearby Mendenhall Glacier.

Mendenhall River crested at a record-setting 16.65 feet deep as of 7:15 a.m. Alaska time (12:15 Eastern), and began to empty, according to National Weather Service experts. The water level had fallen to about 8.