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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

Erratic Winter Weather
This winter in Anchorage has been unusually erratic, with a reversal of typical snowfall patterns, leading to record-breaking snow in January and impacting daily life significantly.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Icy roads, messy weather plagues Southcentral Alaska
A major winter storm brought snow changing to rain and freezing rain across Southcentral Alaska, creating dangerous glare ice, power outages, school closures, and road shutdowns for avalanche mitigation. High winds and localized flooding were also reported, including near Valdez and in Seward.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Alaska's News Source (KTUU)
Melissa Frey, Hannah Lee, Aaron Morrison, Lars Hanson, Lauren Maxwell

Warm snap closes multiple highways in southern Yukon
Unseasonably warm temperatures in southern Yukon brought snow, rain, and ice that closed sections of major highways and created hazardous travel, including a school bus sliding into a ditch near Whitehorse.
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
CBC News

Kodiak hit with ‘atmospheric river’ of rain over snow
An “atmospheric river” brought more than 1.5 inches of rain onto a recent snowpack in Kodiak, creating deep roadway flooding/ponding, very icy conditions, and prompting closures and canceled meetings as crews worked to keep drains clear.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Kodiak Daily Mirror

Updates as Juneau recovers from storm, avalanche evacuation advisory lifted
The Flood Advisory has ended and Thane Road has reopened, though closures are still possible.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
KTOO

Christmas snow in Nuuk has turned into water and slush
Unusually mild, rainy weather in Nuuk melted much of the city’s snow into slush, leaving large puddles and standing water because ditches and culverts were clogged with snow and ice. The municipality and transport companies worked to flush drains and pump away water from low-lying areas and parking lots.
Nuuk, Sermersooq, Greenland
Sermitsiaq

Storm, black ice and closed schools: Drive carefully
Norway faces widespread yellow alerts for strong winds and icy roads after a sudden thaw, with the worst conditions in Lofoten, Vesterålen and Finnmark. Bus, ferry, fast boat and some flight services are disrupted; schools closed in parts of Nordland.
Lofoten, Nordland, Norway
NRK

Ice glaze: Severe weather shuts down Bodø Airport
Freezing rain and slick runways halted flights at Bodø Airport, stranding 150–200 passengers overnight and disrupting air and ferry traffic across Nordland. Operations resumed around midday but with intermittent closures expected as conditions remain icy.
Bodø, Nordland, Norway
NRK
Katrine Olsen Sørgård; Marie Staberg; Thomas Fredrik Kristensen

Multiple Southcentral ski areas closed over the weekend citing weather
Unusual weather conditions, including warming temperatures and increased rainfall, forced multiple Southcentral Alaska ski areas to close, while others faced high winds and heavy snow, highlighting a challenging winter for ski operations and backcountry travel.
Palmer, Alaska, United States

Rain leads to hazardous road conditions across Fairbanks
Warm temperatures and rain have created hazardous road conditions in Fairbanks, leading to collisions and travel disruptions.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Supercooled rain in Fredrikstad: Dozens of pedestrians slipped on the ice
In Fredrikstad, a change in weather led to treacherous conditions for pedestrians, resulting in dozens of falls due to supercooled rain creating extremely slippery surfaces. Hospitals have reported a surge in related injuries.
Fredrikstad, Østfold, Norway
NRK Østfold

Rain in December
Unusually warm weather in early December 2024 has led to rain in Anchorage, Alaska, marking the most December rainfall since 2018, driven by a warm air surge from the eastern Pacific.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Heavy snow dump over northern B.C. turning into freezing rain
A major winter storm has hit northern and central British Columbia, delivering up to 50 cm of snow which is now turning into freezing rain as temperatures rise.
Stewart, British Columbia, Canada
Lake Cowichan Gazette

Province issues travel advisory as 'bomb cyclone' hits Vancouver Island causing widespread power outages
A bomb cyclone hitting Vancouver Island has caused widespread power outages, affecting over 140,000 BC Hydro customers and leading to the closure of multiple highways on the island.
Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

Weather Ups and Downs
Alaska experiences unusual weather with multiple false springs, marked by warm periods followed by heavy snow or cold, casting doubt on the arrival of summer.
Eagle River, Alaska, United States

Russia’s Orenburg Orders Mass Evacuation as City Braces for Flood Peak
The mayor of the southern Russian city of Orenburg urged residents to evacuate immediately on Friday as water in the nearby Ural River reached critically dangerous levels and was not expected to recede until next week.
Оренбург, Orenburg, Russia
The Moscow Times

Road slipperiness increases in Ulan Bator
Ulaanbaatar's road slipperiness issue is being addressed with ample supplies and workforce, while district governors now oversee local cleaning services and public communication for slippery conditions. From January 5-7, 1,225 people received care for injuries. Over 267 people were injured due to slipping and 47 people received emergency care after falling from sledding.
Ulan Bator, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
The UB Post

Why are scientists concerned about rain on snow in the California mountains?
The combination has resulted in some of the US' most destructive and costly floods, including the 1996 Midwest floods and the 2017 flood that damaged California’s Oroville Dam
Truckee, California, United States
Firstpost

Landslide over county road – 100 people isolated
Alf Åge Teigmo heard a huge crash: "First came a river, then forest and large boulders.
Småvika, Flatanger, Trøndelag
NRK

Survived traveling 200 meters in an ice slush flood
"Just when I get into the machine, I just manage to sit in the seat and then the body of the excavator fills with slush and presses me against the window and then presses the whole machine off the road into the valley."
Bakfjorden, Måsøy, Troms and Finnmark County, Norway
RÚV

Fluctuating Juneau weather set the stage for an avalanche at Eaglecrest
The upper mountain at Eaglecrest Ski Area in Juneau was closed on Friday following a large avalanche Thursday morning. No one was hurt.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

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
Mette Kristensen, Barbro Andersen, Emma Fondenes Øvrebø, Andreas Nilsen Trygstad, Ola Helness

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

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

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

People followed instructions during the storm
Weather warnings for northern gales and heavy rainfall that swept through the country yesterday expired last night. The weather was accompanied by heavy precipitation, snow or sleet, and widespread winter conditions on the roads.
Vík í Mýrdal, South, Iceland
RÚV

Ravages of extreme weather "Gyda"
Extreme weather event Gyda already set 20 new January precipitation records in Norway. Vinjeøra in Trøndelag was closed due to extreme damage. NRK reporter Arne Kristian Gansmo compares the asphalt with "an accordion".
Western Norway

Yakutat declares disaster as hazardous winter weather hits Southeast Alaska
With millions of dollars in damage to a new health clinic and imperiled infrastructure, the borough is requesting help from the National Guard. Yakutat has seen up to 6 feet of snow in recent weeks and a rare cold snap that pushed temperatures below zero.
Yakutat, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Fairbanks is riding a weather roller coaster, from freezing rain to snow and frigid cold
Department of Transportation crews are battling a thick coating of ice on roads, and the local utility, Golden Valley Electric, continues working to restore electricity to pockets of customers.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Storms hit region with high winds, snow and then rain
Strong south winds hit 71 miles per hour in St. Michael, Shishmaref had its sea ice blown away and the Nome Airport saw 0.64 inches of precipitation – mostly in the form of rain - last weekend. The storm that hit on Saturday, Dec. 18 and continued all day Sunday brought the total precipitation for December thus far to 2.04 inches.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Flooding feared near Stormdalen
Rana municipality has been warned that there have been several avalanches in Stormdalen near Skarpneset. This has led to large amounts of water accumulating – potentially triggering a flood.
Stormdalen, Rana, Norway

Juneau officials recommend residential evacuations, warning of dangerous ‘historic avalanches’
Juneau’s urban avalanche forecast describes “extreme” danger Saturday evening. Centennial Hall will open as an emergency shelter at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Rare blizzard in Spain leaves 4 dead and brings country to standstill
The national weather agency reported that as of 7 a.m., the snowfall in Madrid reached a level unseen in half a century.
Nombela, Castille-La Mancha, Spain
CBS NEWS

An Increase of Hail in Victoria, British Columbia
Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the occurrence of hail during the winter and early spring months. This type of weather is very unusual for this area. While our current experiences with hail have been mild, an increase in frequency and severity is cause for concern.
Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada

Landslides and flooding after a record-breaking storm
In December of 2020 an atmospheric river brought heavy rains on top of a deep snowpack.
Haines, Alaska, United States

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

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

'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

Most electrified storm in years
A large chunk of Alberta, particularly in the south and central regions, were throttled by severe thunderstorm...
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
rdnewsnow.com

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

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

Winter storm cuts off power to over 50,000 homes
Gusty winds and precipitation began pounding Finland from the southwest on Wednesday morning.
Heinola, Päijänne Tavastia, Finland
Yle Uutiset

Chignik avalanche leaves community without power for 4 days
The avalanche came after two days of heavy snow followed by two days of heavy rain. The community had to wait several days before linemen could get to Chignik to repair the damage to its power system.
Chignik, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Heavy snow in Interior Alaska this winter has bison hanging out on plowed roads and digging up farmland
Bulldozer crews have cleared trails and fields for the bison in hopes of reducing the danger of collisions and damaged fields. There's a layer of ice up to two inches thick within the snowpack that has further complicated foraging.
Delta Junction, Alaska, United States

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