The snowpack across the Yukon is above average, and way above in some places like the Klondike.

Results of the annual March snow survey were released this week.

Environment Yukon hydrologist Benoit Turcotte explained Thursday that an above snowpack will of course bring a higher risk of flooding in the spring and summer.

There are, however, other factors which feed into the equation that may or may not materialize, he emphasized.

Turcotte said spring temperatures play a huge role in how fast the melt occurs, whether it’s prolonged or accelerated, and whether the spring runoff comes quickly or over a long time.

There’s also the amount of rainfall in the spring that feeds into the equation, he said.

Turcotte said with a higher snowpack, there is of course a higher flood risk. They go hand-in-hand, he explained.

The hydrologist said even if the snowpack was 30 per cent below normal, temperatures and rainfall could still lead to flood conditions.

Right now, he said, the outlook is for cooler temperatures prevailing for the next few weeks.

“We are definitely not expecting an early melt like last year,” Turcotte said.

The snow surveys are conducted just days before results are published for March 1, April 1 and May 1.

It measures snow depth and tracks monthly precipitation and winter temperatures from October onward.

It also converts snow depth into what is called the snow water equivalent.

Across the Upper Yukon River Basin, which includes Whitehorse, the snow water equivalent or SWE is 21 per cent above normal.

At the Whitehorse airport on Feb. 26, the snow depth measured 55 centimetres, compared to 28 cm last year in late February.

The SWE at the airport this year was 105 millimetres, or 15 per cent higher than the 55-year historical average of 91 mm.

On the other hand, at Log Cabin on the South Klondike Highway – home of the Buckwheat Classic – the snow depth on Feb. 26 was 142 cm compared to 92 last year.

The SWE was 405 mm, or 23 per cent higher than the historical average.

Across the Lower Yukon River Basin that includes Dawson, the snow water equivalent was 53 per above average, the highest it’s been in 40 years, according to the snow survey.

On King Solomon’s Dome, for instance, the snow depth measured 104 centimetres on Feb. 27, compared to 62 at this time last year.

The snow water equivalent in all the major river basins feeding into the Yukon River watershed is above average: Stewart River, 41 per cent above; Pelly River, 135 per cent above; Central Yukon (Carmacks) 124 per cent above; White River 110 per cent above.

The Environment Yukon hydrologist pointed out the different basins don’t all contribute to runoff at the same time or in the same fashion.

Peak flows past Dawson in mid-June are mainly associated with runoff from the Pelly and Stewart Rivers and smaller watersheds like the Klondike River, he noted.

He said runoff from the Upper Yukon River Basin, the Takhini River and the White River doesn’t hit Dawson until later in the summer.

“A cold spring and delayed summer would not cause much flooding and would flatten all the peaks,” Turcotte said.

“A very warm mid-May or June could be problematic if it generates massive snowmelt in a majority of watersheds.”

He said temperatures also play a role in whether ice jamming will become an issue.

The snow water equivalent in the Liard River Basin is 50 per cent above normal but to the west, the SWE in the Alsek River Basin is 12 per cent below average.

The SWE in the Peel River Basin is 43 per cent above average.

The snow water equivalent for the Porcupine River Basin could not be estimated because of limited data available by March 1.