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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

Houses hit by avalanches after pouring rain in Western Norway
Avalanches hit houses after rain in western Norway in numerous locations.
Nordfjordeid, Stad, Vestlandet, Norway
VG -Verdens Gang
Ingri Bergo, Markus Tobiassen, Synne Eggum Myrvang

Juneau’s Basin Road Trestle closed until further notice after rockfall
A boulder tumbled down the face of Mount Roberts early Wednesday, damaging one side of the Basin Road Trestle’s wooden railing and closing the road. Mattice says slides are more common in the fall, but warm, wet conditions this winter contributed to the rockfall — especially this weekend’s heavy rains.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Swollen limb in caribou
An image of a swollen leg on this caribou raises questions that it may be a case of brucellosis.
Koliganek, Alaska, United States
Constantine Johnson, Melany Eakin, Kimberlee Beckmen

Several new avalanches hit roads in the north – E6 closed
A landslide has closed busy highway 80 between Fauske and Bodø. The Nordland Line has also been affected. The weather has been very bad with large amounts of rainfall in Nordland today. There have been snow and slush avalanches in several places in the county, and a number of road and train sections have been closed due to avalanches.
Finneidfjord, Hemnes, Nordland, Norway
NRK
Mette Kristensen, Barbro Andersen, Emma Fondenes Øvrebø, Andreas Nilsen Trygstad, Ola Helness

Slushy streets in Whitehorse, as warm spell hits the region
Southern Yukon is basking in some unusually mild January weather this week, with temperatures climbing well above the freezing point on Wednesday and expected to stay that way into Thursday.
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
CBC

Cat euthanised after being infected with bird flu, a first in France
Cat tests positive for Brid Flu. The animal lived near a poultry farm in Mauléon, Deux-Sèvres in the west of the country.
Mauléon-Licharre, Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes, France

Mohe: China's northernmost city records coldest day ever
Temperatures in China's northernmost city plunged to minus 53°C (minus 63.4 degrees Fahrenheit) -- its coldest ever recorded.
Mohe, China
CNN Travel

Mat-Su schools closed Tuesday amid Southcentral rain, icy roads
Light rain is expected to fall across much of the region Tuesday, with a storm possibly bringing more rain to Anchorage on Wednesday.
Palmer, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

First known epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in farmed mink
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) is a strain of the avian influenza virus that primarily affects birds, particularly poultry. It has been detected in farmed mink.
Galicia, Spain
News-Medical.net

Denali area gets more than a foot of snow as winter storm hampers travel, visibility
Denali receives a foot of snow in mid-winter storm. Interior areas, including Fairbanks, also received high amounts of snow.
Denali National Park, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Twenty Rescued from Ski Lift in High Winds
Twenty people were rescued from a chairlift at the Hlíðarfjall ski area outside Akureyri. The lift stalled when the wire was blown off its spool by a strong blast of wind.
Akureyri, Northeast, Iceland
Iceland Review

Polar bear fatally mauls woman and boy in Northwest Alaska village
A Wales resident shot and killed the bear. With the loss of sea ice and the ocean staying open later in the year, polar bears have been spending more time on land, which increases the chance of human encounters.
Wales, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Train derailed by avalanche debris
Alaska Railroad freight train derailed early Tuesday after plowing into avalanche debris south of Girdwood. The debris spread roughly 300 feet across the tracks.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States

Avian flu emergency decreed in Honduras
Honduran authorities have declared a 90-day nationwide health alert following an outbreak of avian influenza among pelicans, it was announced in Tegucigalpa. About 40,000 poultry were also evaluated and no signs of the malady were detected, it was also reported.
Atlántida, Honduras
MercoPress

Weekend rains spur flooding; water levels at 25-year highs in some areas
The last time the water levels were this high in some places was in the late 1990s or early 2000s. According to the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), floodwaters will likely spill onto fields and roads in parts of southern and western Finland, but not into buildings.
Finland
News

Insects in January
An unseasonable winter insect sighting in Newhalen.
Newhalen, Alaska, United States

Record-breaking numbers of whales were spotted off Victoria’s coast in 2022
In 2022, a record number of Bigg’s killer whales (orcas) and humpback whales were spotted in the waters surrounding Victoria as well as south along Washington’s border.
Salish Sea
Victoria Buzz

Orca stranding on Florida beach is first on record in U.S. Southeast
For the first time ever recorded, orca washes ashore in Florida.
Palm Coast, Florida, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Fox being tested for rabies after dog attacked in Resolute Bay, Nunavut
Health officials in Nunavut are testing another fox for rabies after the animal attacked a dog in Resolute Bay on Sunday. It's the second such incident in the territory so far this year.
Resolute, Nunavut, Canada
CBC

Blue sap on spruce tree
Blue sap was found on a spruce tree.
Koliganek, Alaska, United States
Lars Flora, Gino Graziano, Elizabeth Graham, Constantine Johnson, Robin Mulvey

Huge amounts of snow in the mountains - It just keeps running down
Last winter there was record low snow. But now there are reports of snow records and amazing skiing conditions on the mountain.
Hemsedal, Buskerud, Norway
VG - Verdens Gang

Highly endangered Saimaa ringed seal pup found dead in fishing net
There was a slight rise in population numbers of the very rare animals last year.
Savonlinna, Southern Savonia, Finland
News

Swans Freeze to Ice During Cold Snap
Residents in Hafnarfjörður, a small town just outside the capital area, have rescued multiple swans that have frozen to the icy surface of Hamarkotslækur creek during a recent spate of desperately cold weather in the country, RÚV reports.
Hafnarfjörður, Capital Region, Iceland
Iceland Review

Slow start to the N.W.T. winter road season, as delays abound
The opening of the famed Dettah ice road, a six-kilometre route that cuts across Yellowknife Bay, is typically opened on Dec, 24, according to a 20-year average. Yet a week-and-a-half later, there's still no word on when it will be operational.
Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Snow shortage threatens Alps with wet winter season
The word for it here is Schneemangel or snow shortage. There's a phrase for when the snow is plentiful too - das weisse Gold - white gold. It's a reflection of how many alpine communities depend on winter sports for their livelihoods. World Cup skiers will race on artificial snow this Saturday as the Alps see record high temperatures.
Adelboden, Bern, Switzerland
BBC News

Alaska’s Arctic Waterways Are Turning a Foreboding Orange
Increase in sediments such as iron could change quality of water sources for local communities such as Kobuk and Kivalina. The impact on animals and plants are unknown and researchers are aware of potential changes in the food web in the future.
Brooks Range, Alaska, United States
WIRED

End of year brings record rains to Unalaska
A typical December brings about 6 inches of rain to Unalaska. But the island has already received more than 10 inches this month. Michael Lawson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said an atmospheric river above the Eastern Aleutians acted as a funnel to allow warm and rainy weather to move from the south to the north, directly across the region.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States
KUCB - Unalaska

Bats plunge to ground in cold; saved by incubators, fluids
Some 1,600 bats found a temporary home this week in the attic of a Houston Humane Society director, but it wasn’t because they made it their roost. It was a temporary recovery space for the flying mammals after they lost their grip and plunged to the pavement after going into hypothermic shock during the city’s recent cold snap .
Houston, Texas, United States
AP NEWS

Strong winds from weekend continue into Monday morning
Roads remain dangerous, and power outages persist into Sunday evening in parts of Anchorage and the Matanuska and Susitna valleys.
Palmer, Alaska, United States

Snow buildup on Anchorage roads leaves drivers with fewer lanes and longer commutes
Road crews say they’re still working to fully carve out the streets and haul snow away, after the city was hit with a trio of major storms this month. Some of Anchorage’s roads are maintained by the state of Alaska, and others by the city.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Canada's bee colonies see worst loss in 20 years, explosion of mites blamed
Nearly half of Canada's honeybee colonies didn't survive the winter, the largest rate of colony loss in the country in the last 20 years, according to preliminary data. The president of the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists calls the finding "pretty disturbing."
Canada

Minke whale pod sighted
A rare sighting is possible indicator of prey abundance.
Kasaan, Alaska, United States

2 cases of avian influenza flu confirmed in N.W.T. ravens
The new cases bring the total count to three cases of Avian flu in the territory. The two ravens were found dead just a few days apart, on Oct. 26 and Oct. 28.
Dehcho, Northwest Territories, Canada

'This is real:' Historic bird flu believed to be killing record number of iconic species in Colorado
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than 53 million birds across the U.S. have died from highly pathogenic avian influenza. The CDC’s count of 4,000-plus infected is far from reliable. The disease contracting to people is believed to be extremely rare.
Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
Colorado Springs Gazette

Anchorage and Mat-Su schools closed after 3rd major snowstorm hits the region
Anchorage and Mat-Su Borough schools and state offices are closed Thursday as a third major winter storm this month coated the area with snow overnight Wednesday. “In the past 11 days, we’ve had 41.1 inches of snow which is a lot for Anchorage,” Baines said.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Chris Klint, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

Musk ox attacks and injures pet dog
Last week a musk ox gored a 10-year-old Malamute outside of his family’s man camp near the Old Glacier Creek Road. A visiting veterinarian cared for the injured dog commenting on more frequent conflict between musk ox and dogs and an increase in musk ox population.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

87,000 cod escaped from farms - one of the largest escapes in a long time
Approximately 87,000 farmed cod escaped from Gadus Group's aquaculture facility, raising concerns about potential impacts on wild fish populations and prompting investigations into the incident.
Norway
NRK

Nome’s Curtis Worland died after musk ox attack
Alaska State Troopers said on Tuesday that Curtis Worland, a Court Service Officer for the Nome AST post, was killed by a musk ox in the afternoon.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

In Photos: Moscow Sets 60-Year Precipitation Record
See photo gallery.
Moscow, Moscow, Russia
The Moscow Times

Winter storm causes travel chaos in southern Finland
Strong winds and heavy snowfall have led to flights being delayed, trains being cancelled, and motorists told to avoid unnecessary journeys.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
News

Warm weather woes wreak havoc in Nome
A week of several freeze and thaw cycles left Nome and the region with puddles on ice and scenes that look more like breakup in spring rather than the customary snowy landscape of December. The rain on ice interrupted normal life in Nome.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

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