The tragedy came after several days of dire warnings about the dangers of river travel due to an unusually early warm-up. Search and rescuers crawled onto weak ice, open water all around, to help retrieve the survivors.
Juneau’s urban avalanche forecast describes “extreme” danger Saturday evening. Centennial Hall will open as an emergency shelter at 8 p.m. Saturday.
“You could take your sailboat and sail from Dillingham all the way to Little Diomede and never see much more than an ice cube.
Arctic sea ice last month reached its greatest extent for the season, and it was the lowest in the satellite record. Now researchers say that ice is also younger and thinner than it once was.
“It started breaking into pieces beneath us,” said Phillip Rode.
The pair were hoisted from 140 feet above, according to Guard officials. Flooding continues to be a concern in the area.
A Wales resident shot and killed the bear. With the loss of sea ice and the ocean staying open later in the year, polar bears have been spending more time on land, which increases the chance of human encounters.
What little snow has fallen in recent weeks has disappeared, leaving inviting surfaces and smooth terrain to explore.
Though snow is scant in Anchorage, organizers are confident they will be able to host the Jan. 3-8 race series.
The flooding started when large chunks of ice jammed at Deneki bridge, according to an advisory issued by the National Weather Service.
Even if a storm does hit Western Alaska, thicker sea ice will always be more resistant than last year’s ice was at this time, a climatologist says.
With millions of dollars in damage to a new health clinic and imperiled infrastructure, the borough is requesting help from the National Guard. Yakutat has seen up to 6 feet of snow in recent weeks and a rare cold snap that pushed temperatures below zero.
The snowfall came after Anchorage broke the daily record for warmest Dec. 31, with temperatures at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport measuring 46 degrees.
“It was a beautiful event that we were lucky to have survived,” Andrew Hooper said.
A GCI cell tower in Western Alaska encapsulated in unusually thick ice and snow has caused service disruptions in villages.
While industry has had to adapt to changes, many locals are still struggling to find a new normal amidst the shifting seasons.
Four teams had scratched as of 7 p.m. Saturday because of the icy conditions, said Kuskokwim 300 race director Madelene Reichard. "It's the same thing for all of them," Reichard said. "The dogs aren't used to running on the ice, and people were wanting to keep their dogs healthy."
No one was hurt when a slab avalanche buried one child and partially buried two others.
A new study estimates that climate impacts to public infrastructure in Alaska will total about $5 billion by century's end.
A 7-foot "wall of ice" from a Susitna River ice jam slammed into Alaska Railroad tracks north of Talkeetna on Saturday, pushing the rails 25 feet off course, the railroad said Monday.The Alaska Railroad is racing to make repairs in time for the start of its tourist season on Wednesday.
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