The thick winter ice of the Yukon River has washed out to the Bering Sea, signaling the end of breakup season on the Yukon Delta.
Last week, communities along the Yukon River experienced ice jam-related flooding. For some, it was among the most severe breakup impacts in recent memory. The communities of Holy Cross and Pilot Station saw water enter homes and, in some cases, cover airport runways. But as of the evening of May 26, significant ice jams close to the mouth of the Yukon River gave way, and the water began to recede.
Mike Ottenweller, a meteorologist with the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center, has been part of the River Watch team doing daily aerial surveys, tracking the Yukon River’s breakup.
“We watched the very last little bit of the ice run that was at one point 40 miles long, and maybe even if you go back a couple weeks, 90 miles long at some points,” Ottenweller said. “We watched that clear out to the coastal areas, and past those last villages and making its way out to the Bering Sea.”
Overall, Ottenweller said that this year’s Yukon River breakup trended toward dynamic and was about five days later than average, which was expected coming out of this year’s frigid winter.
Laura Havemeister, with the Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said that though the flooding is receding, the recovery process is still ongoing. She pointed to Alakanuk, which experienced flooding on some roadways.
“We could not make it into town, unfortunately, just because of that flooding,” Havemeister said. “So we're working with the city manager and with the [search and rescue] team to really understand those inundation areas.”
Communities impacted by breakup flooding in the Iditarod Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA) and the Lower Yukon REAA are eligible for disaster assistance from the state. You can file for individual and public assistance online at ready.alaska.gov.
The River Watch team thanked all of the community leaders and locals who supported them throughout the Yukon River breakup. Ottenweller said that even in the last days of breakup they received valuable data, like some from a community member in Nunam Iqua.
“He told me the ice was moving at 14 miles per hour, and I was like, 'How in the world do you know how fast the ice was moving?' And he's like, ‘No, I drove my four wheeler at the same speed as the ice, and it was 14 miles per hour,'” Ottenweller recalled with a chuckle. “And I was like, ‘That is incredible, and that is also accurate.'”
From shuttling the team from the airstrip to providing on-the-ground updates, Havemeister said that the community aspect of the operation is a powerful one. The team concluded their aerial surveys for the 2026 Yukon River breakup on Tuesday, May 26.
