A Landsat 9 image on April 21, 2026, showed the Kuskokwim River landscape frozen, and as of April 16, river ice near Aniak was thick and covered in deep snow, according to the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center. The Kuskokwim ice road, which extended about 350 miles in winter 2025-2026, shut down on April 10, 2026, news reports said. By May 7, conditions changed quickly; the front of ice breakup nearly reached Aniak on May 6, officials said.
A grounded ice jam stretched 21 miles upstream from Aniak on May 6, with ice chunks several feet thick piling up on riverbanks, according to news reports. The ice jam became unstuck by May 7, and the backup started flowing downstream, officials said. Ice clogged the river again on the night of May 7, several miles downstream from Aniak, and a flood watch was issued for Aniak on May 8.
Flooding receded two days after May 8, officials said. Spring 2026 showed warning signs of a dynamic breakup: above-average snowpack and historically low temperatures, forecasters said. The March 2026 average temperature in Bethel was 14°F (8°C) below normal, according to officials.
Floods had been relatively minor along large rivers through early May 2026, but experts cautioned that more severe flooding could develop quickly. The extent of property damage and number of people affected remain unclear.