Dawson City’s ice bridge is slated to be shut down today, the earliest it has been closed since the government started keeping track.
The season’s end has been recorded since 1995. Before this year the earliest the bridge was closed was April 3, 1999, according to the Yukon Department of Highways and Public Works.
It has been an unseasonable warm winter for Dawson and the rest of the Yukon. Yesterday temperatures in the Klondike hit 14.2 degrees Celsius according to Environment Canada. The normal high for this time of year is three degrees.
The ice bridge across the Yukon River connects people living in West Dawson and Sunnydale to the main town. In warmer weather the George Black ferry shuttles people across.
This year the ice bridge opened Jan. 8.