Yukon braces for spring floods as snowpack soars above normal
WHITEHORSE - The snowpack that is classified as 'above normal to well above normal' across much of Yukon has officials preparing for possible flooding, but a lot will depend on how the territory warms up over the coming weeks.
A government update says Carmacks, Teslin, the Klondike Valley, Old Crow Ross River and Upper Liard are all at an elevated flood risk this spring from either ice jams blocking a river or snowmelt.
Hydrologist Anthony Bier, with the water science and stewardship branch, says early forecasts suggest May will be warmer than normal in the territory but a lot will depend on timing and how that impacts ice on the rivers.
Bier says the ideal scenario is for the territory to continue experiencing the weather its had for the last week, with high single-digit temperatures during the day and overnight lows below zero to slow the melt.
Higher temperatures over a prolonged period, without an overnight freeze could lead to what he calls a 'a dynamic breakup' of ice on the rivers, increasing the risk of jams and flooding.
Greg Blackjack, the director of the Emergency Measures Organization, says his department has been meeting with communities to plan for possible flooding and prepositioned sandbags in areas where they may be needed.
Bier says areas of greatest concern are Carmacks, along the Yukon River in central Yukon, where the snowpack is at 158 per cent of normal, and Teslin, at Teslin Lake, where the snowpack measures 153 per cent.
A government forecast says while the snowpacks are impressive, they don't rival basin records set in 2022.
