Yellowknife Bay melt ‘definitely feels two to three weeks early’

First, a side-by-side went through the ice with a camper attached. Then, a snowmobile disappeared through the same section.

Diver Jeremy MacDonald was called to the scene of both incidents near Mosher Island on Yellowknife Bay.

A reef to the north of the island has long been a weak spot on the bay as the ice breaks up in spring. The weekend incidents aren’t the first time vehicles or people have broken through in that area.

Even so, MacDonald said, it’s early in the year for the ice to be so weak.

“It’s a known spot where the ice breaks away early, but normally it’s closer to the end of the month or the first week of May when we start getting those kinds of phone call,” he told Cabin Radio.

“It definitely feels like it’s two to three weeks early for those things to be happening.”

The weather has been mild in recent weeks and warmer temperatures are expected for southern regions of the NWT. Water levels remain low around Great Slave Lake.

Those conditions have heightened concern that wildfire season could start early and fast – as appears to be the case in parts of northern Alberta – but they also have consequences for local ice conditions.

MacDonald said he’s already diving in areas like the Cameron River that wouldn’t normally be accessible until three weeks later in the year, according to his past logbooks.

“We’re definitely seeing the water volumes are down. At the Cameron River, where those little sets of rapids are, there’s not as much flow going over there right now. It’s not quite down to the level of a trickle, but just not that normal heavier spring flow,” he said.

MacDonald said the water also feels warmer than it normally would for mid-April.

“Everything out there definitely seems to be melting earlier and definitely seems to be warmer than other years,” he said.

“It’s the end of the season. It’s early this year, and people need to be aware that the ice conditions have changed compared to what we’ve seen in previous years.”

Update: April 23, 2024 – 8:45 MT. Based on descriptions in an interview, this article initially characterized the snowmobile as having headed toward the same area of ice to check out the sunken side-by-side. Family members of those involved say the machine’s driver was, in fact, trying to avoid the area but did not realize their location until it was too late.