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

Most rivers in Canada carry some flow year-round, even during the heart of winter, even under a thick ice cover. You may not hear it, you may not see it, but the channel is alive. I personally like to say that the water does not like to freeze, it wants to keep flowing. Water, in…Continue Reading Winter flows and water level variations – an overview

Some people in Yukon may wonder, looking out the window, how river systems will handle such a significant amount of snow in the months to come. What is a flood? A flood is when water starts flowing out of a channel, on the floodplain. Most river channels are naturally formed by erosion and sediment transport….Continue Reading Spring floods: What 2021 weather conditions may bring to the Yukon

The Tr’ondëk (Klondike River) valley has been affected by several floods in recent years. This photograph, provided by the Government of Canada, shows a high-water event caused by an ice jam in April 2003. Several distinct hydrological processes generate floods along the Klondike River and their likelihood and intensity vary from one section of the…Continue Reading Flooding processes in cold regions – case of the Klondike River