The live level and flow of the Klondike River above Dawson — the break-up ice-jam watch for Rock Creek and Henderson Corner — with the official flood-warning link.
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The live level and flow of the Klondike River just upstream of Dawson, from the Water Survey of Canada gauge above Bonanza Creek. These numbers describe the river. They are not a flood warning — in spring break-up the danger comes from ice jams, and the official flood call comes from Yukon's Emergency Measures Organization (linked below).
1.74 m
Low for the river’s recent range. Falling over the past few days. Measured 25 Jun, 20:15.
The official flood warning is at Yukon Emergency Measures Organization (EMO)
These numbers describe the river. They are not a flood warning — the official flood-vigilance level for this station is set by Yukon Emergency Measures Organization (EMO).
The gauge readings on this page describe the river. The flood warnings and evacuation alerts — who should leave and when — come from the Yukon government and the Emergency Measures Organization, not from a number on this page. During spring break-up, follow EMO and the Yukon Flood Hub for the official call.
Dawson sits where the Klondike meets the Yukon. The town's most consequential flooding comes at break-up from the Klondike side: in May 2023 it was Klondike ice jams near Rock Creek and Henderson Corner that drove the evacuations, while the Yukon River gauge in town can read ordinary. This page watches the Klondike above Bonanza Creek (station 09EA003), the channel that backs water up into the low-lying subdivisions.
When the river ice breaks up and jams downstream, it can back water up fast. In May 2023 some homes near Rock Creek went from water well away to water at the doorstep in about two hours overnight. A reading that looks ordinary can still turn dangerous within hours once the ice moves, which is why the official warning, not the gauge, is the thing to watch in break-up season.
During the 2023 break-up, about 20 properties along Rock Creek Road were evacuated and more than 80 people registered with the Yukon government's emergency support services. The evacuation was a recommendation rather than an order, and Henderson Corner and the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in farm were also threatened. Low-lying areas — Rock Creek, Henderson Corner and West Dawson — are the ones that go under first.
Checked 25 Jun, 20:54. River data from the Water Survey of Canada (Environment and Climate Change Canada), under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Real-time readings are provisional and unvalidated, and may later be revised.
How much daylight today, sunrise and sunset, and the huge swing from about 21 hours in June to roughly 4 in December.