In July 2025, lightning-triggered wildfires near the Kobuk River in Northwest Alaska threatened local homes and the tundra ecosystem. The author returned by small plane to set up firebreaks and sprinkler systems with fire crews to protect his sod house and surrounding caribou habitat.

Anchorage experienced an unusually low-snow December in 2024, with only 1.9 inches recorded, contrasting sharply with the heavy snowfall of the previous year and creating ideal conditions for ice skating but challenging ones for skiing.

A human skull found in Kotzebue in October is ancient, with officials confirming it is not contemporary. The skull was discovered in an area formerly used as a burial site. Since the recent flooding, police said they received three reports of remains washing up on shore in the Kotzebue area.

A significant flood-induced washout at milepost 315 on the Dalton Highway has closed the only road link to Alaska’s North Slope oil fields between mileposts 305 and 356, with emergency repairs and ongoing monitoring underway.

The Alaska Railroad believes between 800 and 1,000 gallons of fuel were spilled, according to a situation report released Monday by the state.

UAF graduate student Leanne Bulger may take an even deeper look into the mysterious hole in the ground that is likely one of many developing all over Alaska.

Other new fires were reported near the Eureka Roadhouse along the Glenn Highway and near the Denali Park community. Forty new fires were reported Thursday.

As the Alsek Glacier has retreated, it has eroded a basin that is now filled by a lake.

With wildfires spreading in the Kobuk River country of Northwest Alaska, I just knew I needed to find a way to get home.The Nuna fire is burning still, pushed north by strong southerly winds. There has been some rain, not a lot. I remain concerned about my home. I’m worried about the caribou, too, and what brush will revegetate that tundra after these fires. I’m worried about that beautiful big land between the Jades and Onion Portage, the Hunt and Nuna river valleys.

A 36-year-old woman was seriously injured in a suspected brown bear attack near her home on Chinook Drive in Kenai early Tuesday. Authorities are searching for the bear and urging residents to stay vigilant and secure attractants.

Homer Spit Road sustained damage from high tides and winds, prompting short-term repairs and highlighting the need for long-term erosion control measures.

Multiple avalanches have closed Hatcher Pass Road in Alaska due to heavy wet snowfall, with officials forecasting several days of clearance work.

The Hatcher Pass Road in Alaska has opened for the summer season, but deep snow remains at higher elevations, with crews spending the last week digging out the road over the pass before opening it.

At least 36 ships will skip scheduled stops in Skagway this summer because the cruise dock closed after a landslide sent debris toppling from the mountain above.

The Revilla Road slide came Sunday evening after heavy rains and initially trapped six vehicles with eight people inside, local officials said. Cleanup continued Monday.

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.

Seismic stations more than 600 miles away picked up the rumbling as a mountainside collapsed upon South Sawyer Glacier and into the ocean at the head of Tracy Arm.

The 2,000-acre fire and others north of the Brooks Range fit a pattern of increasing wildfires in the treeless landscape. While most Alaska tundra fires are south of the Brooks Range, in Northwest or Western Alaska, fires north of the Brooks Range are becoming more common and bigger, according to scientists.

Forecasters say they are expecting significant coastal erosion from Utqiagvik to Unalakleet from the second severe-weather event to hit the region in three weeks.

The Tsunami Warning Center recorded waves of less than 1 foot above normal as a result of the earthquake.