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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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The result is clear: 2020 is the hottest year ever in the country
Experts fear the future could be like the record year 2020: Shorter and warmer winters, wetter summers.
Oslo, Oslo, Norway
NRK
Louise Scharff Thommessen, Tiril Mettesdatter Solvang, Hallvard Nordum

Container ship "Sparta-3" stuck in ice in the Yenisei Bay
A container ship froze into the waters of Yenisei Bay in Russia’s Arctic. Traveling from Dudinka to Arkhangelsk, the ship got stuck in ice on December 13. The crew battled icing, but was not in danger. Three weeks later, the ship was able to break free. According to Atomflot, the ship did not have necessary permissions to sail along this section of the Northern Sea Route.
ТАСС

Generation of B.C. salmon likely wiped out by landslide
Homalco First Nation to push for special hatchery permits
Southgate River, British Columbia
Campbell River Mirror
Quinn Bender, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Watch: Skaters glide on mirror-like ice
Scientists measured 16 centimeters of snow in Kilpisjärvi on Thursday, which is far less than the average depth of 39 centimeters for this time of year, according to Siiskonen. Less of the white stuff than usual, creating unusual opportunities for long-distance skating enthusiasts.
Kilpisjärvi, Lapland, Finland
Yle Uutiset

Disruption after thundersnow hits Scotland
Hundreds of residents reported hearing explosions in the early hours of Friday caused by the weather phenomenon. After receiving a number of calls, Police Scotland took to Twitter to reassure residents that there was no need to be alarmed.
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
BBC News

The permafrost in Jotunheimen is thawing – We do not know the consequences
Underground, a mighty giant is disintegrating: the permafrost is about to drop its roof. Constantly creeping upwards, the permafrost zone is now 100 meters further up the mountainside than 20 years ago.
Mt. Juvvasshøe, Lom, Innlandet, Norway
NRK
Ragnhild Moen Holø, Even Lusæter, Roar Berntsen

Fewer choosing studded tires
Roughly eight percent fewer drivers now choose to use studded winter tires on their cars than two years ago, according to FÍB, the Icelandic Automobile Association. It is worth noting that early winter this year has been mild and that some drivers may be holding off.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
RÚV

Call for extra hands to clear Russian bridge, still shut after last week’s disastrous ice rain
Video shows hero climbers manually breaking ice off its cable stays at height of 324m (1,063ft) in Vladivostok.
Vladivostok, Primorskiy, Russia
Siberian Times

Beauty of frozen methane bubbles on the world’s deepest lake shown in stunning video
Baikal is located in a rift zone, a deep crack in the Earth's crust which narrows at depths of several dozen kilometers. A tranquil video of white and silver bubbles of methane caught in newly-formed ice was filmed at Maloye More, a strait that separates the lake's largest island from the western shore of Lake Baikal.
Khuzhir, Irkutsk, Russia
Siberian Times

Homeless man freezes to death steps away from cathedral in Vladivostok’s ice rain aftermath
A 60-year-old man was found early on Friday in the yard of Pokrovsky Cathedral in the centre of Vladivostok. Elsewhere in Primorsky region 94,000 people are still without electricity, 18,000 are without heating.
Vladivostok, Primorskiy, Russia

There's gonna be a lot of open water N.W.T. elder warns amid delayed freeze-up conditions
After record-high water levels and rates of flow in rivers, lakes and streams in the Northwest Territories this summer, the government is warning the problem is likely to persist into winter.
Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

No Kuskokwim Ice Road Yet
The weather may be cold, but it’s too soon to get out on the river ice. The ice is forming up better than it did two years ago, when the winter was the warmest on record, but it is not freezing as fast or as well as last winter, when conditions were near-perfect.
Bethel, Alaska, United States
KYUK

State of emergency in Russian Far East as ice rain causes collapse of key systems
Overnight ice rain and north winds turned Vladivostok, Russia's Pacific capital, and most of the Primorye region into a frozen land with hundreds of power lines cut by wet snow. The storm left 120,000 people without electricity and many without heating and water.
Vladivostok, Primorskiy, Russia
Siberian Times

Spring phenomenon in November: There goes the ice for the third time this fall
The warmest November in over 100 years has had unusual consequences in Finnmark. The video shows the third breakup this autumn.
Tana, Norway
NRK

Minor to Severe Erosion Across the Region Caused by Strong Bering Sea Storm
Late last week a strong Bering Sea storm hit the region, bringing winds up to 50mph, blowing snow, and high-water. Some communities saw significant erosion while others were mostly unscathed.
Nome, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

'No ordinary snow event': Saskatoon digging out from blizzard
People are advised to stay off the roads as city crews try to clear priority streets. Biggest snow event since the blizzard of 2007.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
The Star Phoenix

Fairbanks sets snowfall record, braces for second winter storm
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.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Blizzard sets daily snowfall record
Last weekend's blizzard caused the Haines Borough School District to close Monday after 16 inches of snow fell in less than 24 hours--a record high for daily snowfall according to National Weather Service data.
Haines, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

Snow has meteorologist expressing his disbelief
Whitehorse residents woke this morning to their vehicles buried in snow, with even driveways being impassable, particularly for vehicles without four-wheel drive.
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Whitehorse Daily Star

Russian Arctic Sea Fails to Freeze
For the first time since records began, the Laptev Sea has not yet formed sea ice by the end of October. Scientists attribute the lack of ice to early summer warming and an extreme heatwave in Siberia, as well as warm Atlantic currents flowing into the Arctic.
Laptev Sea
The Moscow Times

Ábborášša reindeer owners feel that they were forced to move over thin ice
The reindeer owners feel they had to choose. Pay expensive fines or move with the reindeer across the river even if the ice was too thin. On Saturday, a thousand reindeer went through the ice in Vuorašjávri, a mile east of Kautokeino municipality in Finnmark.
Vuorašjávri, Kautokeino, Finnmark Fylke, Norway

Mother of all jökulhlaups reported in Southeast Alaska
Scientists believe a massive glacial dam release - or jökulhlaup - recently occurred in Southeast Alaska. But they probably would not have known about it if they had not been tipped off by an observant commercial fisherman.
Alaska Public Media

After record-warm summer in Svalbard, extreme meltdown on the glacier
When glaciologist Jack Kohler returned to Austre Brøggerbreen in Svalbard, he was shocked. More than three meters of the ice at the glacier front had melted away. That's a record. And an ice tunnel had become a trench.
Austre Brøggerbreen, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen

Mt. Glittertind should be the highest - scientist surprised by what they discovered
Glittertind was for a long time Norway's highest mountain due to the large ice cap. But measurements in 1984 showed that the ice had diminished, and since then it has become the little brother to Galdhøpiggen.
Glittertinden, Lom, Norway

Polar bear chased away with flares after wandering close to a secondary school at Chukotka
The Bear Patrol in is on high alert as predators are gathering by a walrus rookery. At least nine polar bears were noticed by residents of Ryrkaipiy, a village in the easternmost region of Chukotka.
Ryrkaypiy
Siberia Times

Nunavut government limits hunting of Dolphin and Union caribou herds
The Government of Nunavut is restricting harvest due to what it calls “a recent steep decline in the population” of the herd. That decline has led to a “conservation concern” about the western Nunavut herd’s numbers.
Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada
ArcticToday

Researchers came to study Russian Arctic glacier, but found only big lake
The glaciologists from Moscow came too late to see the MGU glacier in the North Ural.
The Independent Barents Observer

Record heat in Svalbard is causing problems – Mine 7 inundated with meltwater
The glacier over Mine 7 in Adventdalen on Svalbard is thawing in the summer heat. This has resulted in a severe flood with thousands of liters of water.
Gruve 7, Advendtdalen, Svalbard
Anja Ariel Tørnes Brekke, Aslaug Aarsæther

Arctic ice extent is unlikely to hit a record-low minimum, but lingering ice is ‘thin and porous’
Large holes had developed by mid-August in the low-concentration ice in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, according to National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Nunatsiaq News

Surprise flood kills salmon in West Iceland
A jökulhlaup flood struck West Iceland’s Hvítá river in the early hours of Tuesday morning when water from a lagoon by the Langjökull glacier suddenly broke a new path and flowed in a different direction. Thick glacial mud now coats the river banks, and much of Borgarfjörður fjord.
RÚV

Pacific walrus haulout is earliest on record
The Arctic Sounder - Serving the Northwest Arctic and the North Slope
Point Lay, Alaska, United States
Arctic Sounder

Last fully intact ice shelf in Canadian Arctic collapses
It lost more than 40 per cent of its area in just two days at the end of July, researchers said on Thursday.
Milne Ice Shelf
Global News

Cloudberry bogs are collapsing - climate change is to blame
In Finnmark and parts of Troms, good and favorite berry bogs have cracked and disappeared. The reason is warmer and more humid climate. "Almost impossible to reverse," says a bog researcher.
Karasjok, Finnmark Fylke, Norway

Climate change hits back, Svalbard coal mine flooded by melting glacier
After days with record heat at Svalbard, the penetration of water from the above melting glacier is now flooding Norway’s only operating coal mine that supplies the country’s only coal-power plant.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
The Independent Barents Observer

Unusually cold July in Hedmark
The last two nights have been cold in the country. In Hedmark, the 56-year-old cold record for July has been beaten.
Dalholen, Folldal, Norway

Measured new cold record in Inland Norway
On Saturday night a new cold record was measured for July at Sognefjellshytta. There is unusually high cold and wind in several places in Norway right now. And little indicates improvement over the next few days.
Sognefjellshytta, Lom kommune
Vibeke Cederkvist, Maria Gran, Even Lusæter

Snow on mountain passes: – Should consider winter tires
Low temperatures and precipitation in the form of snow have been reported on several transitions during the day.
Jondal, Vestland, Norway

Colorado weather: Foothills, Palmer Divide get June snow
High elevation areas in Colorado received June snowfall.
Denver, Colorado, United States
The Denver Post

Continued risk of floods and landslides
There is still a lot of snow melt remaining and continued risk of flooding and landslides in large parts of the country. Now experts are hoping for the least amount of rainfall to avoid the most dramatic situations.
Alta, Finnmark Fylke, Norway

State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system
The exact reason of the leak is yet to be established, but a statement from Norilsk Nickel company, which operates the site suggests it could have been caused - worryingly - by collapsing permafrost.
Norilsk, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia
Siberia Times

Kivalina Floods from Snowmelt
Unusually warm spring temperatures are rapidly melting above average snowpack, leading to flooding.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States
Millie Hawley, Janet Mitchell, Jacqualine Schaeffer, Ingemar Mathiasson, Richard L Thoman Jr, Chris Dankmeyer

Thousands of reindeer calves at risk of dying due to long winter
There is concern in the reindeer industry for the prolonged winter cold in the far north – unless the heat comes soon, this year's calves risk dying.
Sápmi
Sveriges Radio

Flooding In Bethel's Hangar Lake and Alligator Acres Neighborhoods, And In Kwethluk
Most Kuskokwim River communities have escaped heavy flooding so far, but not Kwethluk. Social media photos show water rising high and completely covering
Kwethluk, Alaska, United States
KYUK

Kolmakolfsky ice Jam Break - Kuskokwim River at Chuathbaluk
Dynamic breakup conditions are causing ice jams and flooding in Kuskokwim river communities, and significantly damaging infrastructure.
Chuathbaluk, Alaska, United States

Stranded Napaimute couple rescued from flooded Kuskokwim River waters
The pair were hoisted from 140 feet above, according to Guard officials. Flooding continues to be a concern in the area.
Napaimute, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Napaimute Floods During Spring Break-up
Warm May temperatures are rapidly melting the above-average snowpack in the Kuskokwim Basin. Snowmelt is running in to still-stable river ice, causing ice jams and flooding near Napaimute.
Napaimute, Alaska, United States
Crane Johnson, Edward "Ted" Smith, Erica Lujan

NWS Warns Kusko Communities To Prepare For Flooding
An ice jam is holding downstream of Napaimute, flooding the seasonal village. At Aniak, the ice is shifting, according to Aniak resident Dave Cannon.
Akiak, Alaska, United States
KYUK

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

Huge Amounts of Snow Bring Danger of Spring Flooding
There is a danger of spring flood over almost the entire country. On Sognefjellet it has not been as much snow in 20 years.
Sognefjellshytta, Lom, Norway
Kari Nygard Tvilde, Ole Martin Sponberg, Even Lusæter, Mette Vollan, Kjell Åge Kampestuen

Snow crisis in Finnmark – Per John filmed herd of 36 moose
Extreme amounts of snow in Finnmark presents major challenges for grazing animals. Per John Anti met a herd of 36 moose that had gathered.
Karasjok, Finnmark Fylke, Norway
Nationen

Hay River preparing for possible flood during COVID-19 pandemic | CBC News
As breakup season creeps closer, the town of Hay River, N.W.T, is preparing for a possible flood during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Fresh bear tracks in popular hiking area
"It is unusual for bears with youngsters to wake up so early and it is difficult to say why these have come out. The bears may have been disturbed by humans or other animals."
Dákteroavvi, Finnmark Fylke, Norway

Snow Measurements in Tromsø Match Those from the Year 2000
So far this year, there has been 653 centimetres of snow in Tromsø. There has not been this much snow in the city since 2000.
Tromsø, Troms, Norway

Flood potential for spring breakup expected to be above normal for much of Alaska
The River Forecast Center released their spring breakup forecast for 2020. Flood potential is expected to be above average for areas south of the Brooks Range. Areas of north of the Brooks Range should see a normal flood potential.
Alaska, United States
KTUU

The fourth snowiest March in history
In March, several stations in Troms and Finnmark received about three times the normal precipitation. Nationwide, March was the fourth most precipitation-rich since measurements began in 1900.
Troms and Finnmark

High Water Levels in Lake Erie
High water levels for Lake Erie have damaged infrastructure and closed businesses. Climate change, and land use change, is expected to continue some of these disruptions.
Leamington, Ontario

Record in Riksgränsen – over five meters of snow: "Crazy lot"
This year's snow record has been broken in Riksgränsen. More than five metres of snow was recorded at the ski resort on Monday morning – and more precipitation is expected.
Björkliden Fjällby, Norrbotten, Sweden
Aftonbladet

The coffins should be safely in the permafrost – now more emergency need to be excavated
Permafrosten på Svalbard kunne gitt dem evig liv. Men nå er historien til hundrevis av hvalfangere i ferd med å tine bort.
Likneset, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen

Starvation death looms as huge amount of snow piles up over icy crust
Grazing conditions are very poor this winter in Norway as an unusual amount of snow forces the reindeer to dig really deep to find food.
Sápmi
The Independent Barents Observer

Here there has not been such snow in 20 years
It's been decades since there has been so much snow on the icebergs in southern Norway.
Jostedalsbreen, Norway

South Klondike Highway hit with way above average snowfall, closures due to avalanche risk
This year’s large snowfall in southern Yukon has caused issues for highway staff and for people contracted by Highways and Public Works to deal with avalanches.
Carcross, Yukon, Canada
CBC

Heavy snow and thick ice could mean trouble for Aklavik's spring melt, says local
Spring is still months away in the Northwest Territories, but people are already looking ahead at the spring breakup season. In Aklavik, some see signs that could point to heavy flooding, a lot of snowfall, very high snow piles all over town and thick ice.
Aklavik, Northwest Territories, Canada

It Takes A Lot Of Help To Plow The Longest Ice Road Ever
The ice road on the frozen Kuskokwim River has been plowed to its longest length ever: 355 miles. That’s longer than most traditional highways in the state.
Sleetmute, Alaska, United States

Colder weather brings Bering Sea ice extent and thickness to near normal, benefiting hunters
Even if a storm does hit Western Alaska, thicker sea ice will always be more resistant than last year’s ice was at this time, a climatologist says.
Nome, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Vasaloppet ski race organisers scramble to put extra snow on the course
Sweden's most famous ski race gets underway next week.This weekend's wind and rain has led to puddles on the 90 kilometre-long course, and volunteers are working feverishly before thousands of skiers descend on the course.
Sälen, Dalarna, Sweden
Radio Sweden

Kuskokwim River Too Rough For Travelers In Upper Kuskokwim Area
The river is so rough in the Upper Kuskokwim area that it is impassable to vehicle and snow machine traffic. Big boulders of snow-covered ice are scattered across the river caused by high water and a late freeze up.
Napaimute, Alaska, United States

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

Difficult grazing conditions for reindeer
In Karasjok and Kautokeino, there has been greater snowfall than usual on winter pastures. The difficulty in digging down to pasture is effecting reindeer in large parts of Troms and Finnmark.
Ivgobahta, Troms, Norway
Troms og Finnmark

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, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Receding sea ice off northern Japan proves blessing and potential curse for seals
Climate change has allowed spotted seals to find new hunting grounds, but the marine mammals ultimately depend on sea ice to survive.
Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan

Worried for the raspberries, they have started to sprout
The raspberries believes spring has begun now. They have started to bloom and have no idea that the cold temperatures may come in an instant.
Drøbak, Akershus, Norway
Silje-Lisette Tennøy, Miriam Alsvik, Iselin Øverbø

Snake encounter in January
The earliest I have ever seen the cormorant snake has been around the first week of April. I could never imagine meeting snakes in January.
Svartevatnet, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
Ina Christin Løvseth, Ola Weel Skram, RoyRaasholm Fauske

Much Snow
It is so much snow, more than usual this time of the year.

Overflow Flood Waters Threaten House and Road System
A hole cut in the ice has produced a lot of overflow, and flooding is now threatening homes and a state-managed road.
Newhalen, Alaska
Lexi Trainer, Sonny Lamont, Melany Eakin, Edward "Ted" Smith, Erica Lujan, Savannah Anelon

600 fishermen taken off floating ice in the Sea of Okhotsk
Major rescue operation on the island of Sakhalin went on for two days. Some of the fishermen made their way back to safety on ice floes, using ice diggers as oars.
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin, Russia
Siberia Times

'Brilliant blues' of mountain lakes change as glaciers shrink
Shimmering mountain lakes will start to show new colours in coming years, new research suggests.
Zigadenus Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

100 places in Norway are set to set temperature records
The birds are singing, the flowers are germinating and the snow is not visible. January is record-breaking in several places in the country and Oslo sets a new snow-free record.
Oslo, Norway
Tiril Mettesdatter Solvang, Kirsti Haga Honningsøy

Several rainfall records have already been broken - now a warning has been sent out on Helgeland
Several rainfall records in Nordland have already been struck. Now a warning has been sent out for even more of the same. - We are in the top tier of what we have measured by rainfall over the last 100 years, says meteorologist Bente Wahl.
Bodø, Nordland, Norway

Icing in the high mountains produces desperate reindeer
Icy conditions in the mountains have caused wild reindeer to descend towards the hut areas to find food. In several places ski areas are now closed to prevent the reindeer from being disturbed.
Hovden, Aust-Agder, Norway

Worried about the bees this year
During the first weeks of the year, the beekeeper from Tønsberg has registered that several bees have flowed out of the cube. It really shouldn't happen until March.
[Read in
Revetal, Vestfold, Norway
Linn Udnes, Hege Therese Holtung, Magnus Skatvedt Iversen

Scientists: Winter is shrinking at both ends
It's January 15th and the first signs of spring are here. The biologist found a snail in the garden, and in the flower box of the meteorologist sprout and grow it. Both are concerned.
Røa, Oslo, Norway
NRK, Norsk Rikskringkasting
Ida Theresa Myklebost, Dagny Elisabeth Ulland

Mild winter puts squeeze on Saimaa ringed seal
Sipilä said that during his 40 years working for state-owned parks and wildlife management agency Metsähallitus, he has never seen such poor ice conditions in January.
Gulf of Finland
Yle Uutiset

Heavy rain, snow increase threat of mudslides in Western Washington
All the rain and snow falling in Western Washington bumps up the risk for mudslides and avalanches.
Des Moines, Washington, United States
The Columbian

Seven miles of ice stopper loosened and damaged several houses
400 residents lost the road connection and several houses were evacuated when a seven-mile-long ice stopper came loose, carrying large masses of ice and water. Today, the municipality is on inspection to look at the damage.
Beiarn River, Norway

Ferries cancelled, flood watch issued as storm wallops B.C. South Coast
The storm pummeling much of B.C. incapacitated part of the ferry system and coated major highway passes and northern areas of the province in a heap of fresh snow.
Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

New heat record again - 19 degrees on Sunndalsøra
A new heat record for January. Sunndalsøra in Nordmøre measured 19 plus degrees in the morning.
Sunndalsøra, Møre og Romsdal, Norway

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