The ice road connecting Dettah and Yellowknife could close within 24 hours, says the Department of Infrastructure.

The department posted notice of the possible closure, "due to rapidly deteriorating conditions," over Twitter on Wednesday morning.

"It definitely has to do with the warmer weather," said Greg Hanna, a spokesperson for the department.

March and April have seen unseasonably warm weather in Yellowknife, and fluctuating temperatures make for a messy ice road, he said.

Although there are slushy portions of the road near the shoreline, the ice is still safe to drive on, at least for today, said Hanna.

The possible closure comes earlier than the 20-year average of April 16, according to collected by the department.

This is the second-earliest closure of the ice road since 1993. The previous record was set in 2017 when the road closed on April 7.