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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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Observations

The Spring Crust Snow Conundrum
In past years observers reported on changes in the timing of when spring crust snow develops in Glen Alps. This year the crust is developing at lower elevation(s) but not at Glen Alps. Is it spring in Anchorage and still winter in the Chugach?
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Lars Flora, Mike Brubaker, Richard L Thoman Jr

Alaskans drawn to alpine lakes for ‘once-in-a-decade’ ice skating conditions
Alaskans are taking advantage of rare ice skating conditions on alpine lakes in Chugach State Park, with hundreds of people hiking into the backcountry to skate on smooth ice in the shadow of iconic peaks.
Rabbit Lake, Alaska
Anchorage Daily News

Funny River Road closes for 37 hours after culvert collapse
A culvert collapse closed the road at Mile 8 from 9 p.m. Friday until one lane reopened at 10 a.m. Sunday. The culvert was washed out by heavy snowmelt.
Soldotna, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Snow Mold
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Injured skier rescued after Girdwood avalanche sweeps him hundreds of feet down mountain
The slide occurred at a time when forecasters in the region are cautioning backcountry skiers and snowboarders about the potential for warming weather to increase avalanche risk.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Late Alaska Winter
October flew by leaving us with a couple of light snowfalls. November came around with something slightly more impressive, but it wasn't the same. Mid December decided to make up for all of the snowfalls that we missed all at once, it seems like.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Richard L Thoman Jr, Mike Brook, Mackenzie Lord

One lane of traffic open near Cooper Landing after Sterling Highway landslide
The creek slide is the latest environmental incident to strike the Kenai Peninsula this week: a massive landslide in Seward on May 7 continues to block Lowell Point Road, a wildfire broke out near Sportsman’s Landing on May 8 and a separate wildfire broke out on May 10 near Wildman’s.
Cooper Landing, Alaska, United States
Peninsula Clarion

It'll likely take 2 weeks to clear snow from Eagle River road after massive avalanche, officials say
No residents had been reported injured or missing, and power had been restored to most impacted homes. City officials had also carved a path so residents can travel in the area by snowmachine.
Eagle River, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Giant ice craters, ruts and street-squeezing snow berms: Anchorage road conditions are improving but still causing chaos
Auto shops are seeing more business because of damaged tires, and drivers are often inching through a messy maze of bad road conditions. Road crews are making headway but still catching up from unfavorable weather last month.
Anchorage Daily News

Freeze up on Lower Kenai River
Cold on the Peninsula! Cabin owner on Kenai River near Soldotna says they have not seen it frozen like this in years.
Funny River, Alaska, United States

Amazing November skiing! Lots of snow, lots of cold!
It is November, we have snow and we are skiing the Southcentral Alaska backcountry early and in the best conditions in years.

Shift in Overall Weather Pattern Over Past Two Decades
"The first snowfall of this year happened so early that the leaves on the trees had not fallen yet. The weight of the snow on top of the trees that had not shed their leaves caused the trees to incur damage."
Eagle River, Alaska, United States

Anchorage's early snow unofficial but pleasing to zoo's polar bears, otters
Snow blanketed parts of Alaska’s largest city Tuesday morning, as Anchorage saw an early, though unofficial, first snowfall of the season. It's technically unofficial because none was reported at the National Weather Service’s official measuring spot on the city’s west side.
Alaska Public Media

Ski areas across Alaska enjoy big-time snow days
For skiers and snowboarders looking for snowy fun within designated ski areas in Alaska, some spots have already extended their seasons.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States
Alaska's News Source

What Happened to Our Cold Spring Nights?
We went from relatively cold days and nights in late March, to warm days and warm nights in April. This means no overnight freezing of snow, and no crust conditions for skiers...yet.
Crane Johnson, Mike Brubaker, Richard L Thoman Jr

Snowmachiner dies in avalanche near Cooper Lake
A snowmachiner was killed Monday afternoon in an avalanche on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska State Troopers reported late Monday night.
Cooper Landing, Alaska, United States
KTUU

After avalanche scare, Anchorage’s Kincaid Park sand dunes off-limits to Junior Nordic skiers
No one was hurt when a slab avalanche buried one child and partially buried two others.

Anchorage breaks snow record for New Year’s Day following the warmest Dec. 31 on record
The snowfall came after Anchorage broke the daily record for warmest Dec. 31, with temperatures at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport measuring 46 degrees.

The snow is low, but the ice is nice
What little snow has fallen in recent weeks has disappeared, leaving inviting surfaces and smooth terrain to explore.

Too icy to ski right now? Not for Junior Nordic
Most of Anchorage is currently covered in ice, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to ski.
YouTube

Man who found hiker trapped in Flattop Mountain avalanche said rescue was ‘a miracle’
After being buried, the trapped hiker was able to kick his legs free. A hiker passing by spotted his feet sticking out of the snow.

Rapid release of water from glacier-dammed lake prompts Kenai flood advisory
The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for Kenai Lake and the Kenai River near Cooper Landing.
Cooper Landing, Alaska, United States

'Way too close’: Kayakers encounter calving glacier in Southcentral Alaska
“It was a beautiful event that we were lucky to have survived,” Andrew Hooper said.
Spencer Glacier

Large icebergs are rare in Portage Lake nowadays. This week there are two new ‘shooters.'
“When I first started six years ago, icebergs like this were more common,” says a tour boat captain on the lake near Anchorage.
Whittier, Alaska, United States

April Snowfall Road Carnage
Seasonal swings set drivers up for bad trip.

Snow is going Fast at Glen Alps
The snow cover in Anchorage and the Chugach is disappearing very quickly. Go out and get it while you can!

Strong winds may have been a factor in avalanche that killed skier in Kenai Mountains, report says
Jeffrey Cheng, 33, died in the slide. One of his friends managed to hold on to a tree as waves of avalanche debris washed over his head. The third member of their group wasn’t caught.
Moose Pass, Alaska, United States

Fierce storm drops a foot of snow on Anchorage in 24 hours
The storm that walloped Southcentral Alaska also left about 32 inches of snow in Moose Pass and 30 in Seward.

National ski championships still a go at Kincaid Park
Though snow is scant in Anchorage, organizers are confident they will be able to host the Jan. 3-8 race series.

Wild Ice - Backcountry Skating Alaska
If the winter gives you ice, then it's time to go ice skating! Backcountry skating is the practice of hunting for wild ice, whether on on a river, lake, glacial lagoon, or inside an ice cave. Filmed in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States
Vimeo

A glacier dam bursts and creates minor flooding on the Kenai
Sport fishermen are struggling to reel in the rainbow trout and Dolly Varden that usually are so abundant in fall.
Snow River Bridge, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Retreating Exit Glacier has become an icon of climate change
The celebrity glacier on the Kenai Peninsula, though relatively small and getting smaller, looms large in the public consciousness.
Exit Glacier, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Eklutna Glacier, a source of Anchorage drinking water, is disappearing drip by drip
A new study quantifies the rate at which Eklutna Glacier is losing its icy mass. Between 1957 and 2010, the loss of glacier mass averaged 5 percent a year.
Eagle River, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Miserable stretches of trail prompt Iditarod to move race start to Fairbanks
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.

Kenai Peninsula permafrost thawing rapidly
A recent study estimates permafrost coverage on the peninsula has decreased by 60 percent since 1950. Permafrost is usually associated with Northern and Interior Alaska, but it also occurs in isolated pockets in wetlands on the Kenai Peninsula.
Ridgeway, Alaska, United States
KBBI Homer

Fog and cold have created perfect conditions for a frosty Anchorage
After years of low snow and higher winter temperatures, Anchorage once again looks like a real northern city thanks to a heavy layer of frost.

Ski Jumpers Finally Compete
It has been three years since the Anchorage ski jumping club has been able to hold our New Year competition.

Early breakups seen on Kenai Peninsula
The rivers on the Kenai Peninsula are shucking their ice much sooner in the past few years than they have in decades, some flowing freely as early as
Soldotna, Alaska, United States
Peninsula Clarion

Early Spring / Early Waterfowl
Early spring and early waterfowl
St. Mary's, Alaska, United States

Lack of snow shortens Iditarod start
Persistent warm temperatures the last few weeks have melted much of the snow, including stockpiles the city tried to set aside.

Living in Ice Land
Winter transformed from time of snow to time of ice.

Glide Cracks In Turnagain Pass
Glide Crack in Turnagain Pass
Turnagain Pass, Alaska, United States

The Last Skiers
The physical poetry of skiing well can make you feel like a spiritual being. It feels like meaning. That's why we teach our kids to ski. Not because we want
The Anchorage Press

Light on snow, high on risk, Turnagain Pass stays closed to snowmachiners
More than two weeks after the area typically opens for snowmachiners, the pass remained closed Tuesday as lower elevations continued to see below-average snow levels.
Turnagain Pass, Alaska, United States

Ice dam break suspected as cause of Rabbit Creek flooding
Rabbit Creek jumped its banks Friday morning on the Anchorage Hillside, washing over a bridge and prompting police to knock on doors asking people inside to evacuate.

Another record-setting year for snowfall
For the second year in a row, the Anchorage area set a new snowfall record. This year it wasn’t the amount of fluffy stuff that went down in the history books — last year Anchorage had more than 11 feet — but the days between the first and last snowfall.
The Alaska Star

Late Winter Storm
We are having an unseasonable snow storm in southcentral Alaska.

Creeks Choked by Ice
There is a lot of overflow and flooding happening in Anchorage area streams, as a result of the recent record rain fall.

Anchorage Snow Totals Well Below Average
November is usually the second snowiest month in Anchorage, but this year, snow totals are well below average. So far, only about three inches of snow has fallen in the city. November usually sees an average of seven inches by now, with a total of a little more than 13 inches for the month. National Weather Service Meteorologist Dave Snider says total snowfall for the season is also well below normal.

Anchorage, Alaska sets new snow record
To say Alaska has been snowy this winter is an understatement. Anchorage broke a 57 year old snowfall record Saturday when a storm produced 4.3 inches of snow on Saturday, April 7, 2012.
EarthSky

Falling ice traps driver, closes highway
A woman was trapped in a pickup on the Seward Highway on Friday after falling ice crushed the vehicle just south of Anchorage.

Unusually large ice formation next to highway
The ice formation along the Seward Highway grabbed my interest because it stood out and was rather unusual.
LEO Network

Ice formation on cliffs
3-17-12 Ice formation on cliffs - Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Anchorage, Alaska, USA

No one hurt after second Anchorage roof collapses in a week
The incidents happened after another bout of heavy snow, and as municipal building officials mailed out warnings to owners that their buildings could be at risk.

Avalanche leaves up to 80 feet of snow on upper Hiland Road in Eagle River but no homes hit
About 145 customers in the area were without power on Friday due to damaged equipment, according to Matanuska Electric Association. It’ll likely be at least several days before the road may be cleared.

Up to a foot of snow could fall on Anchorage Hillside through Friday morning
Snowfall amounts in the Anchorage Bowl could range from 3 inches on the east side to nothing on the west side, the Weather Service said.

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