The live level and flow of the Hay River from the Water Survey of Canada gauge, with the spring break-up flood story and the official warning channel.
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The live level and flow of the Hay River, straight from the Water Survey of Canada gauge just upstream of town. These numbers describe the river — they are not a flood warning. At spring break-up the real danger is ice jams, and the official flood call comes from the Government of the Northwest Territories (linked below).
2.17 m
Low for the river’s recent range. Steady over the past few days. Measured 9 Jul, 15:05.
The official flood warning is at the Government of the Northwest Territories
These numbers describe the river. They are not a flood warning — the official flood-vigilance level for this station is set by the Government of the Northwest Territories.
The readings on this page describe the river. The flood watches, warnings and evacuation alerts — who should leave and when — come from the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Town of Hay River, not from a number on this page. During spring break-up, the official channel is NWT Alert (nwtalert.ca, or the Alertable app); follow the Town of Hay River's updates as well.
Hay River's worst flooding comes in spring, when the river ice breaks up and jams in the delta channels at the river mouth, backing water up fast into the low parts of town. In May 2022 an ice-jam flood put much of Old Town and Vale Island underwater and forced nearly the whole town and the Kátł'odeeche First Nation to evacuate. A reading that looks ordinary can still turn dangerous within hours once the ice starts to move, which is why the official warning — not this gauge — is the thing to watch during break-up.
Station 07OB001 reads the Hay River a short way upstream (south) of town, near the highway. It shows how much water the river is bringing down toward Great Slave Lake. The flooding that hits Old Town and Vale Island happens downstream of here, where the river splits into channels at the mouth and the ice jams — so a calm number on this page is not the whole picture during break-up.
New Town sits on high ground — it was built there after the catastrophic 1963 flood — and generally stays dry. Old Town, Vale Island (which holds the airport and the barge docks) and the West Channel fishing community are low-lying and flood first. The Kátł'odeeche First Nation reserve across the river has effectively one road out, which went underwater in the 2022 flood — worth remembering early if water is rising.
Checked 9 Jul, 16:24. River data from the Water Survey of Canada (Environment and Climate Change Canada), under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Real-time readings are provisional and unvalidated, and may later be revised.