Some mushers worried what the warm weather would mean for the trail ahead.
The sweeping list of potential health implications includes the introduction of new diseases, an increase in accidents and a worsening allergy season.
For a March evening in the Interior Alaska village of Nikolai, Tuesday was warm.
In Southeast Alaska this summer, researchers have seen extremely high levels of harmful toxins in mussels and clams plucked from beaches.
A pilot first spotted the whale last week. What caused the whale’s death isn’t yet known.
Records show there were 18 years without any days of thunderstorms in Anchorage. The average is about 1.4 days of thunderstorms a year. This year there have already been four, and more over the Chugach.
Half the bears were killed by people who said they were defending their lives or property. The other half were killed by police, park rangers or wildlife biologists.
The bears won’t hibernate if food remains available, so the continued availability of trash in the area has created a dangerous situation, biologists say.
Temperatures in the area were unseasonably high last week, reaching into the mid-40s, according to the National Weather Service. Then temperatures dropped below freezing Sunday and into Monday morning. "There's a lot of water flowing underground in this area," McCarthy said. The freeze-thaw "caused some instability and that made it slide."
Little rainfall during this year’s warm, dry summer left Seldovia and Nanwalek scrambling to conserve water.
An alarming number of gray whales have been found dead this year from Mexico to Alaska, triggering a federal investigation into what’s causing the die-off.
It's not yet clear what led to the humpback’s death or where it died, and biologists are warning people to stay away from the carcass.
The significant explosive eruption started around 10 a.m. Monday, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported.
To varying degrees, nearly the entire state was warmer than normal this July, according to a weather expert.
It’s the first reported sighting of the falcated duck on mainland Alaska, Fish and Game says.
If high temperatures melt snow and that leads to a bear’s den getting flooded, that’s another reason the bear might head outside. It’ll likely try to find another den, Farley said.
For the second time in three years, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will move its official start from Willow to Fairbanks due to poor trail conditions that race officials determined unsafe.
Major changes with the environment are creating trail hazards, an official said. The ceremonial start for 74 sled-dog teams will remain in Anchorage on March 4.
In Anchorage, the city logged 68 bed bug complaints in 2013, a decrease from the 84 in 2012. There was just one complaint in 2007 and 2008 combined, according to city data.
It’s rare to see humpbacks in Turnagain Arm, known for its swift tides and shallow waters.
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