Weather & Climate
RSSAlaska News tracks weather and climate events affecting Alaska communities, including volcanic activity, wildfires, and smoke impacts.
Weather Service cancels Ketchikan wind advisory early after gusts fall short of forecast
Ketchikan's windstorm came in under budget: forecasters warned of 50 mph gusts, the airport topped out around 36, and the advisory ended three hours early.
by Walter AlaskaNews8h ago1 min read
Up to 6 inches of snow possible in Isabel Pass by Wednesday night
Up to 6 inches of snow could hit Isabel Pass by Wednesday night, and forecasters say it could be the snow that sticks around till spring. Summer, it was nice.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Northern lights outshine a nearly full moon over Fairbanks as solar wind keeps the aurora active
Northern lights over Fairbanks outshone a nearly full moon this week. Officially it wasn't even a storm, but one guide called it the best show of the season.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Juneau's Suicide Basin refills fast as second release remains possible
Suicide Basin above Juneau is refilling after August's flood, and a second release could come anytime. None is forecast, and no flood watch is in effect.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
High wind warning ends for Atka and Adak after two days of strong Bering Sea winds
A high wind warning for Atka and Adak ended Friday night. Forecasters called for gusts to 80 mph; Adak's airport station topped out around 61 mph.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Weather service cancels flood watch for Bethel, Kwethluk and nearby Kuskokwim villages
The weather service canceled its flood watch for Bethel, Kwethluk and nearby villages Friday, plus a coastal warning. The river is still high for the season.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Coastal flood warning for Kipnuk and Kwigillingok canceled as storm tracks south
The storm passed south of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, and the coastal flood warning was canceled Friday night. Earlier river flooding hit Kasigluk and Kwethluk.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read
Much of the Beaufort Sea's ice melted out in August after a cold, late start
A cold, cloudy spring slowed the melt off Alaska's north coast. Then August opened a hole north of Utqiaġvik, and much of the Beaufort's ice was gone.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2d ago2 min read
Typhoon Dujuan's remnants bring heavy rain, swells and a gale warning to Southeast Alaska this weekend
Typhoon Dujuan's remnants bring heavy swells, rounds of heavy rain and a gale west of Yakutat to Southeast Alaska this weekend. Friday stays dry.
by Alaska News3d ago1 min read
Wind advisories cover the Parks and Richardson highways through early Sunday, with gusts up to 70 mph
The Alaska Range is doing its wind thing this weekend. Richardson gusts could top out near 70 mph Saturday; the Parks near Healy gets 60. Tall rigs, beware.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago1 min read
Kenai's council will award a bluff erosion contract the day after bids close
Kenai's council votes Sept. 30 on an erosion contract with blanks where the contractor and the price go. Bids do not close until the day before.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago1 min read
A high wind warning covers Atka and Adak with gusts up to 80 mph
Adak and Atka are facing wind gusts of up to 80 mph today, and out on the water the seas are forecast to build as high as 33 feet tonight.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read
Kipnuk and Kwigillingok face coastal flooding as rain threatens Kwethluk and Kasigluk again
Kipnuk and Kwigillingok are under a coastal flood warning through Saturday, and rain could flood Kwethluk and Kasigluk again after last week's high water.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5d ago2 min read
A wind advisory covers Ketchikan and Metlakatla until 2 pm Tuesday
Ketchikan and Metlakatla are getting gusts of up to 40 mph through Tuesday afternoon, and the Alaska Range could see 70 mph by Friday morning.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago1 min read
NWS tracks Bering Sea low that could raise Yukon Delta water 1 to 3 feet
A Bering Sea low pressure system could raise water 1 to 3 feet above normal along the southern Yukon Delta coast Thursday through Saturday, with an advisory in effect until Tuesday afternoon.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Yakutat wind advisory expires; top gust 37 mph
Yakutat braced for gusts of 60 mph this weekend. The airport topped out at 37. Nobody in town is complaining that the forecast turned out wrong.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Flood watch covers Skagway, Haines and Klukwan through Sunday night
Skagway and Haines face heavy rain Saturday night into Sunday, landing on rivers already swollen by fast glacier melt. Flooding is possible.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
FAA seeks permit for weather station at Coffman Cove seaplane base
The FAA is seeking a 20-year state permit for a weather observation system at Coffman Cove. Comments close Oct. 2.
by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Arctic's warmest summer since 1950 included the rain that flooded the Susitna Valley
The July rain that flooded the Susitna Valley is now logged as an extreme event of the warmest Arctic summer since 1950, according to a new climate review.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Chena River flood advisory extended through Sunday as crest forecast rises
NWS extended the Chena River flood advisory through 10 pm Sunday and raised the Moose Creek Dam crest forecast to 25.1 feet.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Heavy rain and near-60 mph gusts hit Southeast Alaska this weekend
A Pacific storm hits Southeast Alaska this weekend with heavy rain and gusts near 60 mph, raising streams fast but not, forecasters say, to flood.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Bethel flooding is forecast to return with Thursday morning's tide
The Kuskokwim River pushed water into low-lying Bethel this week and is expected to rise again Thursday, as onshore winds hold it back from draining.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Ice risk on the Dalton Highway and Arctic Coast until noon
Freezing rain and snow could make roads slippery on the Beaufort Sea Coast and Arctic Plains through noon Wednesday, National Weather Service warns.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Dense fog cuts Annette Island visibility to a quarter mile
Dense fog has visibility down to a quarter mile on Annette Island through Wednesday morning, the third such advisory in the southern panhandle in a day.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Suicide Basin levels drop, signaling a possible new release above Mendenhall
Suicide Basin's water level dropped sharply Tuesday, possibly signaling another release. Nothing is flooding, and secondary releases run far smaller.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
A Bering Sea storm brings flooding and high winds to the Y-K Delta
A Bering Sea storm is bringing coastal flooding and damaging winds to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, including Kipnuk, still rebuilding from last year's typhoon.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Flood watch warns Chena and Little Chena could top minor flood stage Wednesday
Half an inch to an inch of rain is landing on ground that is already soaked. The Little Chena is the river for Fairbanks to keep an eye on now.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Fairbanks dense fog advisory expired at noon after visibility fell to 100 yards
Fog in Fairbanks got thick enough Monday that you could see about a hundred yards, and it did that an hour after the advisory was supposed to end.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Wind gusts to 50 mph are coming, and the trees still have their leaves
Wind gusts to 50 mph hit Anchorage from Tuesday morning through Wednesday. The trees still have their leaves, which is how the outages happen.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Flood watches cover McGrath and Fairbanks as one storm moves across Alaska
Flood watches take effect Monday for McGrath and Tuesday for Fairbanks as a multi-day storm brings heavy rain and wind across Alaska through Saturday.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read
Test flash flood warning to air in Juneau Sept. 23 for Salmon Creek Dam
Juneau's weather radios and broadcasts will sound a "Flash Flood Warning" on Sept. 23 — but it's only a test of the Salmon Creek Dam alert system.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Alaska's August was warmer than its July, for the fourth time in a century
August was warmer than July in Alaska this year, which has happened four times since 1924. July was the coldest since 2008 and kept the fires down.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
High surf advisory holds until 10 p.m. Saturday as Utqiaġvik logs record September rain
A storm brought high surf to Alaska's Arctic coast and set a September rainfall record in Utqiagvik, the wettest day there in records going back to 1920.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Frost advisory covers Juneau, Yakutat, Hoonah and Gustavus through Friday
A frost advisory covers Juneau, Yakutat and nearby areas early Friday, with temperatures near 35 that could kill uncovered plants.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
NWS forecasts water 5 feet above high tide at Golovin through Friday
Water is forecast 3 to 5 feet above the normal high tide line at Golovin through Friday, the third stretch of high water there in three weeks.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Dense fog advisories end across Southeast Alaska after quarter-mile visibility
Fog cut visibility to a quarter mile or less across parts of Southeast early Thursday, thickest along the road to Juneau's airport. It has since lifted.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Weather cancels Koniag townhalls in two villages, three weeks before the board vote
High winds canceled Koniag's first two 2026 shareholder townhalls in Akhiok and Old Harbor on Wednesday, replacing them with meal and sign-in gatherings as the proxy deadline approaches Sept. 30.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Nine EPA climate grants for Alaska projects ended with 99 percent of $151 million unspent
$151 million in federal climate grants for Alaska tribes ended with less than 1% spent. One $20 million award was terminated the same day it was signed.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago3 min read
Two Arctic climate-data sources lose federal funding, kept alive by others
Two Arctic climate-data sources Alaska relies on lost their federal funding this past year. Both are now kept alive by universities and private groups.
by Alaska Newsadded 2w ago2 min read
10 Kuskokwim Delta villages named in flood outlooks for Friday
High water coming down the Kuskokwim meets storm surge pushing up it at Friday's high tide. Ten western Alaska villages could see flooding or erosion.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
