Evacuations begin in Alaska's capital amid record glacial flood threat

Watch: National Weather Service flies over Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier before outburst

A video provided by the National Weather Service office in Juneau, Alaska, shows scientists flying above the Mendenhall Glacier on Tuesday, Aug. 12, before the glacial lake outburst flooding.

Evacuations are underway in parts of Alaska ’s capital of Juneau after a glacial outburst sent water rushing down the Mendenhall River and into communities across the region.

"A glacial outburst has occurred at Suicide Basin," officials said in a Facebook post . "The basin is releasing and flooding is expected along the Mendenhall Lake and River late Tuesday through Wednesday."

Officials have recommended that residents within the 17-foot lake level inundation zone evacuate the area until the wate