The Government of the Northwest Territories maintains water monitoring stations across the territory to keep track of water levels and flow rates in areas of potential flood risk for communities.
This information is provided regularly to territorial and regional emergency managers to help understand the status of waterways across the NWT in the lead-up to, and during spring break-up – the highest-risk period for floods in the Northwest Territories.
Technical Data
Current Status:
NWT break-up reports will be published routinely as break-up unfolds. These reports will focus on regions with active snowmelt and ice break-up. The geographic focus of the report will shift as conditions change. Additional information about basin conditions can be found in the ECC Snow Survey Bulletin and Spring Water Outlook, available here. If you have any photos or information about break-up in your community, feel free to reach out to us: nwtwaters@gov.nt.ca.
- Relatively cool and cloudy conditions across the southern NWT have limited the progression of break-up since the last report on April 19.
- Break-up along the Hay River continues to be thermal (ice is primarily melting in place);
- Open water sections are growing near the NWT-AB border. River ice near the town of Hay River remains intact.
- Water level increases on the Hay River near the NWT-AB border remain relatively small.
- Break-up along the Liard River has also been primarily thermal;
- Open water sections are growing along the riverbanks and between Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte.
- Water levels are continuing to rise under ice on the Liard River, but the rates of increase are small.
- River ice has started to move in small sections along the Mackenzie River between Fort Providence and Jean Marie River.
- Water levels are slowly rising under the ice on the Mackenzie River at Fort Simpson and are normal for this time of year.
- River ice remains mostly intact at Jean Marie River and Fort Simpson.