Background Articles

Heavy snowfall on Southwest Iceland has led the Icelandic Meteorological Office to raise the regional avalanche forecast to orange (considerable). People in the Reykjavík area are urged to avoid slopes steeper than 30 degrees, especially SW-facing slopes where wind slabs may form.

The increased statewide precipitation is despite places like Anchorage and -- if you can believe it -- Southeast Alaska being slightly drier than normal this summer.

Rainy sloppy conditions in Trondheim underscored the importance of the climate work. But the warm wet weather barely dampened the enthusiasm of the Norwegian crowd.

Research from the University of Alaska Fairbanks indicates that early snowmelt, driven by climate change, could lead to more extreme wildfire seasons in Alaska, with the southern regions experiencing earlier fire starts than usual.

A series of heavy snowfall events and enduring sub-freezing temperatures have brought back the charm of a traditional Maine winter, delighting snow sports enthusiasts and winter festival organizers.

Despite the fourth snowiest October on record, roughly half of precipitation in Anchorage has been rain this winter.

In Southeast Alaska, the changing climate means more deadly landslides, and in Anchorage, more heavy-snowfall events, according to Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy’s report.

Landslides have killed at least 12 Alaskans in the past decade and destroyed homes and critical infrastructure.

An additional half an inch of rain could fall through the end of the week as Anchorage is seeing one of its wettest summers on record.

This region endured similar major floods in 1922, 1942 and 1957 though the current disaster was "extraordinary and all previous 'records' have been surpassed," she added.The Ural River flooded Russia's Orenburg region in particular, while the Ishim — which feeds the Siberian regions of Tyumen and Omsk, and northern Kazakhstan — also burst its banks.

A whopping 132.6 inches of snow -- more than 11 feet -- fell on the city this winter, as of the latest measurement Friday.

Ahead of Wednesday’s anticipated severe weather, county officials are making some important announcements.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has issued an updated damage report from Tuesday and Wednesday’s severe weather. According to MEMA, one person in Grenada County died. Six were injured, two of which were in Scott County. Details regarding where the other four injuries took place have not been released...

An infrasound avalanche detection system, previously used for monitoring volcanoes and nuclear tests, is being installed in Juneau to improve avalanche mitigation and road safety.

Chugach forecasters issue warnings of high avalanche danger following a fatal incident and two non-fatal close calls in the mountains.

The state is seeking new support from FEMA and other partners to expand studies of landslide risks on Wrangell Island and elsewhere in Alaska.

NASA's PACE satellite, designed to study ocean biology in unprecedented detail, has been successfully launched to enhance understanding of Earth's changing climate and improve weather forecasting.

Juneau shatters snow record for Jan. 22; forecaster says avalanches “could begin to endanger homes.”

Juneau's history of deadly landslides, particularly the 1936 disaster that killed multiple residents, is a testament to the region's susceptibility to such events, which may increase with changing weather patterns.

The U.S. experiences extreme cold as the rest of the world faces unusual warmth, a pattern scientists attribute to climate change.