Permafrost is ground that stays frozen year round; the permafrost in interior Alaska also has massive wedges of actual ice locked within the frozen ground. When that ice melts, the ground surface collapses and forms a sinkhole that can fill with water. Thus, a thermokarst lake is born. At first glance, Big Trail looks like any lake. But look closer and there's something disturbing the surface: bubbles.

08-03-22 In response to declining numbers of Fortymile and Nelchina caribou, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is taking a more conservative approach to both harvests this fall.

There were 4,500 lightning strikes in Alaska Tuesday — the latest in a run of days with thousands of ground strikes. There were also another 13 new, primarily lightning sparked wildfires in the state Tuesday, mostly in the Interior. The lightning storms have coincided with very dry conditions.

Our Mosquito Magnet trap filled in under a week. We normally empty it once a month or so.

The Yukon, Tanana, Koyukuk, Kuskokwim and Susitna basins all have more snowpack than usual — and some are well above normal.

Department of Transportation crews are battling a thick coating of ice on roads, and the local utility, Golden Valley Electric, continues working to restore electricity to pockets of customers.

As of Monday evening, no structures had been damaged in the Munson Creek Fire, which was less than a half mile from the popular resort.

European Honey Bee a.k.a Western Honey Bee (apis mellifera) spotted with 2 feet of snow still on the ground.

Scattered power outages were reported this morning, and as the wind began picking up early this afternoon, more are expected. As of 9 a.m., unofficial measurements showed more than 19 inches of snow on Old Murphy Dome Road, 14 inches in Goldstream and almost a foot in Two Rivers. The official measurement on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus was 12.4 inches.

A total of 14.7 inches of snow fell between 8 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday, barely eclipsing the previous record for the date of 14.6 inches, set in 1970.

The novel virus has only affected two people, both in Fairbanks. The "Alaskapox" was first identified in 2015 after a Fairbanks woman sought medical attention for a small skin lesion, pained fever and fatigue. In August, a second Fairbanks woman with no known connection to the first was found to have the virus. Scientists suspect both women may have gotten the virus from contact with small wild animals.

Wild roses typically bloom in June and July, and go dormant when temperatures drop in the fall and winter.

Wild roses usually bloom in May and June, but warm fall temperatures may have signaled roses in Fairbanks to bloom later than usual.

That it’s been a rainy spring and summer is news to no one. But just how wet have the past 12 months been for Fairbanks? According to data compiled by

Browsing moose may have damaged the primary flowering shoot of the fireweed, causing it to form multiple blooming stalks.

These berries were on a south slope in a recently burned area. Seems early to me!

Fairbanks summers are trending toward more precipitation. June 2020 set two rainfall records for the Fairbanks area.

After a cold winter and spring, high temperatures around the Interior prompted birch tree buds to burst, sending record-setting levels of pollen into the air.

According to the Weather Service, the Chena River is at 25 feet around Chena Lakes and 21.4 feet at the Mile 40 Bridge near Two Rivers.