A flood warning was in effect for the Yukon from Russian Mission to Pilot Station until 5:30 p.m. Friday, and a flood watch was in effect until Monday from St. Marys to Emmonak and Alakanuk on the Bering Sea coast.
Flooding has affected almost every community along the Yukon to some degree -- Eagle Village was largely destroyed -- since breakup began earlier this month, pushing floodwaters and ice down river. Officials now say the flood waters could drain into the sea in a matter of days.
"We're getting close," said weather service hydrologist Ed Plumb. "We're down to the last 100 miles or so of the river."
On Wednesday, there were two significant ice jams on the Yukon -- one about five miles upriver of Pilot Station and the other near Marshall -- each with about 25 miles of ice stacked behind it. Extensive flooding was observed in the area Wednesday morning, the service said.
Water levels at Russian Mission rose about a foot overnight Tuesday, though levels remained about two feet below the record level. Its airport runway was under about 18 inches of water, closing the airport. A number of homes were also flooded.
In Marshall, water levels dropped overnight. The road to its airport, which had been accessible only by boat, became accessible to large trucks, though conditions were expected to worsen when the ice jam upstream breaks loose.
Water was contained to the channel in Pilot Station, and the weather service was reporting open water downstream of St. Marys. However, Pilot Station will see a sharp rise in the water level when the jams release, threatening low-lying areas. Flooding could be more severe if an ice jam forms at St. Marys, the service said.
Officials said water levels are already high below St. Marys, and when the two jams break free, a "significant run of ice and water" will rush down river to it. Ice below St. Marys remains relatively hard and the chances of additional jams are high.
"There will be ice jams forming, and if they happen to form down river of a village, that's when we tend to get the worst," Plumb said.
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