Public Media for Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

National Weather Service says breakup could turn into a mush out on the lower Kuskokwim

Mark Leary

The first River Watch flight over the Kuskokwim River will happen at the end of the week. A team with the National Weather Service is headed to Bethel to monitor spring breakup along the river.

Winter conditions are persisting in the upper reaches of the Kuskokwim River between McGrath and Red Devil. Celine van Breukelen, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service, is cautiously optimistic about a mush out this year.

“Over the next few days we’ve got high around 50 degrees [Fahrenheit] and lows in the mid 30’s through [April 27], so it looks like we’re going to stop freezing back at night, which is going to keep moving breakup along,'' she said during an April 26 conference call with residents who live along the river.

On April 25, Van Breukelen was a guest on “Coffee at KYUK.” During the show, she said that normally, breakup would start in the upper reaches of the river. She said that it’s been warm enough along the lower river to melt much of the snow and degrade the river ice in the Bethel area.

Van Breukelen said that if the ice in the lower reaches of the river continues to degrade, it could help reduce flood potential. “We have a chance for that downstream ice to degrade in place like it’s doing now, before you get the big push from breakup from upstream or snow from the Alaska Range,” she said. “If we’ve already started to break up that is great, because that ice will just mush out and be able to flow to the ocean without causing ice jams and without causing flooding.”

There are three spots along the Kuskokwim where the ice is thick this year, and where ice jamming has caused flooding in the past. These include locations at Aniak and Crooked Creek, and just downstream of Napaimute.

Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokesman Jeremy Zidek said that there are already resources in place in the event of an emergency. “There are helicopters in the region,” he said. “I know at least two, but it may be up to four. They’re out there for their normal annual training and they do have hoist capabilities.”

A supervisor with the State Emergency Operations Center, who was also on the conference call, reminded community leaders that now is the time to review small community emergency response plans and to make sure plans for sheltering and evacuations are set.

Community health aides are in the process of identifying area residents who may need assistance in the event of an emergency.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Emily Schwing is a long-time Alaska-based reporter.