The Yukon government has put ice advisories out for two rivers in the territory: the Klondike and the Nordenskiold River.
The advisories were put out over the Easter long weekend. An ice advisory describes a situation where river ice is either changing or expected to change, according to the Yukon Floods Hub.
The Klondike River — which was described as having an above-average flood potential in a snowpack survey released earlier this year — is experiencing small ice movement. Ice breakup is expected to happen this week — ice at the Ogilvie Bridge in particular is expected to break up by the end of the week. Large ice movements can begin at any time, and ice jams could form over the course of the week, according to the Floods Hub.
While ice resistance should be low due to the warm winter experienced this year, cloudy skies could encourage ice jams by slowing how fast the ice weakens. Ice jams may generate higher water levels than expected. Flooding in the lowest-lying areas, like the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Farm and Rock Creek, is “a possibility in almost all breakup scenarios,” according to the advisory.
Ice on the Nordenskiold River in Carmacks, also under ice advisory, is breaking up. The government expects to see water flows increase slowly. That said, as ice becomes weaker, more ice downstream is expected to start moving, per the Yukon Floods Hub.
Because the Yukon River froze at a higher-than-usual level this year, that may create ice jams at the mouth of the Nordenskiold. Ice jams could cause high backwater levels from the River Drive bridge downstream to the mouth. That said, the Flood Hub pins the flood risk level as being low, thanks to warm winter weather and weak ice as well as low to moderate flows.
Daily updates to river conditions across the territory are provided on the Yukon Floods webpage.
