Yukon issues flood watch advisories for Dawson City, Carmacks
Flood watch advisories have been issued for the Yukon River in the Dawson region, as well as the Nordenskiold River in Carmacks, Yukon.
A flood watch means that river levels are rising and may exceed banks. If that happens, the advisory could be later upgraded to a flood warning.
According to the flood watch issued for Dawson on Thursday morning, a large ice jam downstream from the townsite is causing the river to rise. That could continue as more ice flows downriver and meets that jam.
The advisory says water levels at Dawson are now “close to the peak of 1998,” when water during breakup reached the second-highest level since 1979.
An official update on Thursday afternoon said the downstream ice jam is eight kilometres long, having grown overnight. It also says there is flooding at the Moosehide site and high water levels in Dawson.
The Dawson flood watch comes as the town also deals with a flood warning issued this week for the Klondike River in the nearby Henderson’s Corner area. Some residents there are also under an evacuation alert.
Thursday’s advisory for the Yukon River says it’s not possible to predict how much the water may rise as breakup continues and ice moves downriver. If the large jam downstream releases, it says, “the rise may be brief.”
However, it also notes that “in any scenario, any assets on the river side of the dike are currently at risk.”
Warm weather, melting snow in Carmacks
Meantime, the flood watch for Carmacks was issued Wednesday afternoon as water levels on the Nordenskiold River had been rising over the previous 48 hours as snow melted. It says warm weather contributed to the “rapid rate of rise.”
On Thursday, officials said the river flow had dropped slightly from an overnight high.
It also said that the river’s rise was expected to moderate with slightly cooler weather possible in the coming days. The overnight temperature in Carmacks on Thursday was expected to drop below zero, according to Environment Canada.
Elsewhere in the territory, an ice jam on the Pelly River just below Ross River let go overnight on Wednesday, along with another jam at Pelly Crossing. The ferry landing and waterfront at Ross River saw some flooding, but the water had receded by Thursday.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Yukon government issues flood watch for the Klondike River, CBC News
Finland: Wildfires continue to burn across Lapland, Yle News
Norway: Smoke from Canadian wildfires forecast to reach Norway, The Associated Press
Russia: New NOAA report finds vast Siberian wildfires linked to Arctic warming, The Associated Press
Sweden: High risk of wildfires in many parts of Sweden, including North, Radio Sweden
United States: Wildfires in Anchorage? Climate change sparks disaster fears, The Associated Press
