Weather & Climate
RSSAlaska News tracks weather and climate events affecting Alaska communities, including volcanic activity, wildfires, and smoke impacts.
Wind advisory warns of 55 mph gusts on the Richardson Highway Sunday and Monday
NWS Fairbanks issued a wind advisory for the Eastern Alaska Range north of Trims Camp from 10 a.m. Sunday to 7 p.m. Monday, with south winds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts to 55 mph, strongest Sunday night into Monday.
by Maggie AlaskaNews8h ago1 min readAI
Juneau's glacial outburst flood crested Thursday at 14.7 feet, above major flood stage
Alaska 511 flagged a flooding risk Wednesday night on Back Loop Bridge Trailhead Road in Juneau as the borough responds to glacial outburst flooding affecting nearly 1,900 homes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min readAI
Juneau to Mendenhall Valley: the next glacial flood is coming, plan now
Juneau says the next Suicide Basin glacial flood is on its way, expected Aug. 1-9, with about 1,900 valley homes in the advisory area. Make a plan before the river rises.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Juneau asks Mendenhall Lake evacuation zone residents to leave by 3 p.m.
Juneau ordered 5,000 residents in the Mendenhall Valley evacuation zone to leave by 3 p.m. Wednesday as a glacial outburst flood crests early Thursday.
by Melinda Communities.News2d ago3 min readAI
North Riverside Drive in Juneau restricted to local traffic over flooding risk
Alaska 511 has North Riverside Drive near Pinedale Street in Juneau open to local traffic only until further notice, covering the Riverside Baptist Church and Riverside Condos areas, while NWS Juneau's flood warning runs until 4:30 a.m. Friday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min readAI
Water begins flowing over Suicide Basin ice dam, NWS tells Juneau to finish flood prep
Water is spilling over Suicide Basin's ice dam near Juneau, and the National Weather Service is telling residents along Mendenhall Lake and River to finish flood prep now.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min readAI
Heat advisory holds across Southeast until 7 p.m. Friday, in a region that had no such warning before last year
NWS Juneau has a heat advisory in effect until 7 p.m. AKDT Friday for Juneau, Skagway, Haines Borough and Klukwan, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Prince of Wales Island, Annette Island and Hyder, with temperatures in the lower 80s and warnings of heat-related illness.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1d ago2 min readAI
NOAA tightens salmon limits, closes coho retention off Washington, Oregon and California
NOAA cuts commercial troller limits and closes coho salmon retention off Washington, Oregon and California starting this week due to weak salmon runs.
by Bill AlaskaNews2d ago2 min readAI
Heat advisory covers Lower Matanuska Valley through Monday
I'm gonna be hot if you in the Matsu, don't be surprised if heat stroke finds you.
by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago2 min readAI
Yentna River crest ties to flood risk for Lake Creek lodges
Yentna River crested at 22.52 feet Thursday near Lake Creek, two feet above flood stage and high enough to push water into cabins at seven fishing lodges along the Western Susitna Valley.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago2 min readAI
It's July, and it's snowing on the road to the Arctic
It's late July and it's snowing on Atigun Pass — the 4,739-foot Brooks Range crossing that's the only road to Alaska's North Slope.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Juneau reopened its flood evacuation zone Thursday evening after the Mendenhall crested at 14.7 feet
Mendenhall River crested at 14.7 feet Thursday, reaching major flood stage with nearly 1,900 homes in the evacuation zone told to stay out for several more hours.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min readAI
Seven straight months below normal: what drove Alaska's chilly first half of 2026
A climate analysis published Sunday explains why every month from December 2025 through June 2026 ran below the 1991-2020 baseline statewide, the longest such streak in nearly 50 years, tracing the cold to two distinct atmospheric patterns and regional sea-ice and snowpack feedbacks, not a fundamental shift in Alaska's long-term warming trend.
by Melinda Communities.News3w ago2 min readAI
Flood Watch issued for Seward as atmospheric river targets Kenai Peninsula through Tuesday
National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch for Seward from early Sunday through Tuesday morning as an atmospheric river brings 3 to 5 inches of rain to the Kenai Peninsula.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
NWS warns of snow, ice risk at Atigun Pass and along Dalton Highway tonight
Surprise Surprise, snow in Atigun Pass
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Seward faces heavy rain and flood risk again, weeks after July storm
Seward faces 2 to 4 inches of rain Monday through Thursday, with flood and landslide risk — the second such threat weeks after a July flood warning.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
Erosion is forcing Alaska to move the Noatak airport two miles west
The Noatak River has eroded to within about 160 feet of the village's airport — its only lifeline — so Alaska is moving the whole airport two miles west.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago1 min readAI
Flood Watch expands to Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula as atmospheric river intensifies
Flood watch expanded Sunday to Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula as atmospheric river brings 2 to 4 inches of rain and 55 mph winds through Monday. • Yentna River in Susitna Valley forecast to crest above flood stage by Tuesday, threatening cabins at two lodges. • River users warned to expect higher water levels and monitor forecasts closely through midweek.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
Yentna flood warning runs to Friday after forecast crest above 22 feet
NWS Anchorage's flood warning for the Yentna River including Lake Creek runs until 1 p.m. Friday, and the warning says flooding is ongoing. The river passed flood stage Tuesday and was forecast to crest slightly above 22 feet early Wednesday, a window that has now passed.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago3 min readAI
Editors push to publish 2026 Arctic Report Card after NOAA drops support
NOAA dropped support for the Arctic Report Card after 20 years, but editors say they will publish the 2026 edition without federal backing.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min readAI
Magnitude 5.6 quake northwest of Skwentna felt across Anchorage and Mat-Su
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake near Skwentna was felt across Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley on Saturday night, with no damage reported so far.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago2 min readAI
Another round of damaging wind is headed for the Interior
More big wind for the Interior, with 70 mph gusts possible around Delta Junction and the Alaska Range. Trees, power lines and high-profile vehicles all at risk.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Salmon River near Hyder still rising; road to Canada at risk
A glacial outburst flood is pushing the Salmon River higher near Hyder, threatening the community's only overland road out. Crest timing remains uncertain.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
A glacier-dammed lake is emptying into the Salmon River near Hyder
A glacier-dammed lake above Hyder is draining out the bottom of the Salmon Glacier, swelling the Salmon River and threatening the Premier road — like it has almost every summer since 1961.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Strong winds hit the Anchorage Hillside and Turnagain Arm, with outages possible
Strong winds are hitting the Anchorage Hillside and Turnagain Arm, gusting up to 60 mph through Tuesday morning. Secure loose items — power outages are possible.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
A landslide cut rail service to Denali after record Talkeetna rain
A landslide from record July rain cut off Alaska Railroad service to Denali north of Talkeetna, in a corridor already under a flood-and-erosion emergency.
by Melinda Communities.News1w ago1 min readAI
Beaufort Sea nearly ice-locked in early July, a level unseen since before 2001
Satellite data and NSIDC analysis show the southern Beaufort Sea is almost entirely ice-covered in early July 2026, with only 0.3 percent open water, a condition that ranks among the highest ice extents in the satellite record and carries direct consequences for Arctic navigation and subsistence hunting.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Wind advisory remains in effect for Windy Pass with gusts to 65 mph
WINDY AGAIN, SUCKERS
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
Interior faces warmest stretch of summer as Tanana Valley smoke lingers
NWS Fairbanks forecasts highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s from Wednesday through the weekend across the Interior, with wildfire smoke already degrading air quality in the middle Tanana Valley and light winds unlikely to move it out.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago2 min readAI
As Alaska's glaciers retreat, new carbon-storing bogs are forming behind them
As Alaska's glaciers retreat, new carbon-storing peat bogs are forming on the bare ground behind them. A UAF grant will map how they form and how long they last.
by Melinda Communities.News1w ago2 min readAI
Yentna River forecast to crest above flood stage tonight
The Yentna River near Lake Creek is set to crest above flood stage Wednesday night, sending water into several cabins — in a roadless area reachable only by bush plane and boat.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
The Yentna is a foot over flood stage, and cabins are taking water
The Yentna is running a foot over flood stage, with water already in cabins at two Susitna Valley lodges and more rain coming through Thursday.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Juneau's flood barriers are finished before Suicide Basin lets go
Juneau's Mendenhall River flood barriers are done ahead of Suicide Basin's expected release. Officials still urge residents to heed evacuation advisories.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago1 min readAI
Rockfall risk added to Anchorage flood watch as second rain round targets Monday commute
NWS Anchorage warns that a second round of moderate to heavy rain is likely to hit the Anchorage Bowl during Monday's morning commute, falling on already saturated ground and raising the risk of rockfalls along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage. The Flood Watch runs from 4 AM through Monday evening.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Heatwave-driven mortality identified as key cause of Yukon Chinook crash
A new study pins the Yukon Chinook collapse on heatwave-driven deaths of young salmon at sea, not just low recruitment or overharvest, meaning harvest closures alone won't fix the crash.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Talkeetna's erosion fight reaches a new stage: buying people off the riverbank
Talkeetna's erosion fight has reached buyout territory: the borough wants federal money to pay people off the riverbank, if the state covers the match.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
Anchorage ties its wettest July on record as Southcentral soaks
Anchorage tied its wettest July on record and Talkeetna saw its wettest since 1922, part of a cool, soggy stretch and a recent run of unusually wet Julys.
by Melinda Communities.News1w ago2 min readAI
Juneau braces for another Suicide Basin glacial flood
Another glacial flood from Suicide Basin is headed for Juneau — nearly 1,900 homes are in the advisory area, and officials say the barriers holding it back are "essentially sandbags."
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
The water keeps coming back to Kotzebue Sound
Kotzebue Sound is getting its second high-water warning in two days — small rises on a coast where the flooding keeps getting worse.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Kennicott River rising after Hidden Creek Lake drains; crest expected Monday
Hidden Creek Lake is draining into the Kennicott River near McCarthy, expected to crest Monday with fast-moving water and debris. • Dangerous conditions extend downstream to the Chitina and Copper Rivers, putting boaters and subsistence fishermen at risk. • This annual glacial flood is called a jökulhlaup; NWS warns against parking, camping, or crossing near riverbanks.
by Alaska News3w ago2 min readAI
