newsminer.com

The National River Forecast Center issued a flood advisory for Fort Yukon on Wednesday night.

Ice jams on the Yukon River caused mild flooding in Circle earlier in the day Wednesday. Earla Hutchinson, the longtime owner of Circle Utilities, said about an inch of water flooded most of the roads in the morning but receded after a half- hour or so. Nothing appeared to be damaged by the flooding.

Water levels had declined a foot by the afternoon, and the ice did not appear to be particularly strong, according to the National Weather Service in Fairbanks.

Though the flooding in Circle was minimal, it was hard to say what would happen in Fort Yukon.

“When it comes to ice jams, there are just too many uncertainties to put any odds on it,” said Larry Rundquist, a hydrologist with the National River Forecast Center.

Meanwhile, the Fairbanks North Star Borough and Salcha Fire and Rescue continued to collect damage information from Salcha residents.

On Wednesday morning, the area of Starkeyville remained flooded, displacing 16 people. The flooding had reduced to large puddles later in the afternoon.

Officials are still monitoring the area near Mile 239.5 of the Richardson Highway as there is still a large amount of ice in the river.