Water levels in the Marsh-Tagish-Bennett Lakes system peaked on August 27 at a level that is only 0.6 m lower than in 2021 and 0.4 m lower than during the flood of 2007. More specifically, 2022 is only a few millimeters below the 3rd highest level on record since 1970. Also of interest is that Áa Tlein (Atlin Lake;…Continue Reading What Yukon’s Southern Lakes are telling us

The timing and intensity of river ice breakup depends on multiple factors driven by hydrological and meteorological conditions. Breakup may start gradually but can end with a significant ice jam flood. In turn, there are years where most ingredients are gathered for high water levels at breakup, yet Nature decides otherwise, and water levels remain low….Continue Reading Pac-Man and Bluefish breakup events in 2022

For years now, we have been witnessing the occurrence of weather extremes. In 2021, unprecedented hot weather, droughts, and floods affected different regions of Canada, including Yukon. A couple of years before, in the spring of 2019, a very thin snowpack was reported in central and southern Yukon. This spring, several areas of Yukon have…Continue Reading 2022 Yukon flood perspective aligns with climate projections

Snow Water Equivalent (SWE, amount of water contained in the snowpack) at Whitehorse airport is nearing it’s peak for Winter 2022.  While the snowpack can vary significantly from year to year, the graph above shows that there is an overall rising trend in SWE since 1966. The year-to-year variability also tends to increase, with a…Continue Reading Climate change, flood resilience, and the 2022 snowmelt season in Yukon

Outdoor lovers have noticed that the ice cover in Chasàn Chùa (McIntyre Creek) close to Yukon University Ayamdigut Campus can change very quickly during the first half of winter and can also present significantly different aspects from one observation point to the next during any given day. This ice cover often seems chaotic compared to…Continue Reading Intriguing ice cover on Chasàn Chùa (McIntyre Creek)

The ice cover formed on Tágà Shäw (the Yukon River) at Dawson during the weekend of Nov 13-14. This is always of particular interest for Dawsonites and West Dawsonites, considering the partial freeze-up winters of 2013-14, 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19. Q: How does the ice cover formation sequence look this winter? The Sentinel 2 Satellite image presented above…Continue Reading River ice formation at Dawson in November 2021

Climate change is causing more weather extremes that directly influence water. Northern Canada is getting more than its fair share of impacts. This post summarizes noteworthy hydrological events in Yukon during the 2020-21 hydrological year (October 2020 to September 2021). Southern Lakes: The combination of record snowpack, delayed summer conditions and an intense warm spell…Continue Reading Significant hydrological events of 2021 in Northwestern Canada

The Yukon University Research Centre has developed a hydrodynamic model of the Klondike River. How does this work and how is this useful?  Figure 1. Aerial view of a portion of the Klondike River located about 8 km upstream of Dawson (further to the left). The blue scale of increasing darkness simulates the water depth (0 to 5…Continue Reading Klondike River Hydrodynamic Model

Given the current situation in Yukon’s Southern Lakes, this post is meant to provide information to better understand their hydrology. Q: What controls water levels in Southern Lakes? A: The Lakes are part of the headwaters of the Yukon River. Like any lake, they respond to what flows in (river hydrology) and what flows out…Continue Reading High water levels in Yukon’s Southern Lakes

Some paddlers may have been surprised to see ice drifting down the Näkhų Chu/Ta Hîni (Takhini River) in late May, 2021, especially considering that the most popular paddling section of the river had been free of ice since early-May. In fact, the upstream portion of the Takhini River is usually ice-free all winter because of the heat released from Nakhų̄ Mǟn (Kusawa Lake; the…Continue Reading Late-May ice runs in the Takhini River