Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, is under a storm surge warning from Environment Canada, with water levels expected to reach 80 to 90 cm above the highest astronomical tide on Friday afternoon, July 24, 2026. The surge could cause moderate flooding along the coastline from Mackenzie Bay to McKinley Bay.
A wind warning is also in effect, with gusts up to 90 km/h continuing into Friday evening. These winds may lead to local utility outages, difficult driving conditions, and damage to roofs, fences, and soft shelters. Residents are being told to secure loose objects and to protect boats beached or anchored near the shore.
The warnings come less than a year after a historic storm in August 2025, when water levels hit 2.6 metres and winds reached 130 km/h. That event, described by MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong as “never experienced before in recorded history,” cut off the community and caused extensive damage.
Tuktoyaktuk, a hamlet of about 900 to 1,000 people on the Beaufort Sea coast, loses roughly one metre of shoreline each year due to erosion, storm surges, and permafrost thaw. Several homes have already been moved to the Reindeer Point subdivision, and a site six kilometres farther south has been identified for a potential full community relocation.
Conditions are forecast to improve dramatically by Sunday, with sunny skies and a high of 18 C. The current warnings are available on the Environment Canada website.
