Late Freeze up in Lower Kuskokwim

Observation by Michael Stevens:

We had a late freeze up here at the Lower Kuskokwim due to unusually warmer temperatures. The river wasn't safe to travel on for the month of November, usually the ice thickness is safe to travel on by the middle of November. Now it is December and we finally have at the very least 9 inches of ice thickness at the mouth of Oscarville Slough. When the river isn't thick enough to travel on, it becomes unsafe for travelers wanting to do shopping in Bethel, get to medical appointments in Bethel, and other things that they want to do.

Rick Thoman, Climate Scientist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, writes:

This was the warmest autumn of record in nearly a century of climate observations at Bethel, more than 7ºF above normal. The previous warmest autumn was in 2002. These photos very nice show the effects on the river. 12/21/2018

Comments from LEO Editors:

LEO Network defers to local observers for information about river ice and other conditions where they live. Observations of late river freeze-up have been reported in a variety of locations around Alaska. In 2012, observers in Fort Yukon posted that there was still no snow or river ice in late November. In 2013, observers in Koyukuk posted that boats were still on the Yukon river in early November. During November of 2014, observers in Kongiganak reported that previously frozen areas of the Kongiganak river were beginning to thaw. Late freeze up was reported from Koyuk in November 2016. November 2017 we heard of warm winter weather and open water in Chuathbaluk, with similar stories in Lower Kalsag, Galena and Unalakleet that following December. In January of 2018, poor ice conditions on the Kuskokwim disrupted the Kuskokwim 300 dog race.

The National Weather Service River Freeze Up Data, records the date of river freeze-up, as well as the date the ice becomes safe for vehicle travel. Between 2009 and 2012, the Kuskokwim River near Bethel was frozen by mid to late October, but the dates that the river becomes safe for travel by either truck or snowmachine vary throughout the month of November. Erica Lujan