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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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After long, cold winter, Interior summer heat begins with near-record temperatures, flooding
Fairbanks' May 10 temperature was two degrees below the daily record, while snow melt from an above-normal year is flooding Interior rivers.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

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.

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
NRK

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.
Vadsø, Finnmark Fylke, Norway
The Independent Barents Observer

Halland braces for more rain as rivers overflow
Halland county in southwestern Sweden is battling heavy flooding along the banks of the Nissan and Lagan rivers, with more rain in the forecast.
Halmstad, Halland, Sweden
Radio Sweden

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
CBC

Flood warnings in southern and western Sweden
High water levels and flooding are being reported from several parts of southern Sweden Monday, and the met office SMHI has issued class 2 flood warnings ...
Borås, Västra Götaland, Sweden
Radio Sweden

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

A total of 23 precipitation records have been broken - on Vega it has rained almost every single day
The island of Vega in Helgeland, which has a measurement station from 1999, has not had as much rain in 15 years. They had 27 rainy days in January.
Vega, Nordland, Norway
NRK

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
NRK

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

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

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

Raining in January
Warm temperatures bring novel rain event in Northern Sweden.
Near Nedre Soppero, Sweden

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.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

100 horses confirmed dead in storm
100 dead horses have been found following the major storm that hit Iceland last week. Some are still missing and the search continues. Some horses are known to remain in danger and vets say that farmers are exhausted.
Skagafjörður, Norðurland vestra, Iceland
RÚV

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.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
YouTube

In Sweden's Arctic, ice atop snow leaves reindeer starving
Hiila Inga is concerned about the health of his reindeer. His community herds 8000 head each year, between traditional grazing lands in the mountain and the forests further east.
Kiruna, Norrbotten, Sweden
Associated Press

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.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Ice Fog (Low Visibility) = Cancelled Flights
Open water over the ocean creates conditions that lead to hoar frost and rime ice. These conditions impact travel and are expected to become more common as ice forms later in Norton Sound.
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States

Icy Conditions Send Over Two Dozen to Emergency Room
Since yesterday evening, over two dozen people have visited the emergency room at the National University Hospital of Iceland owing to icy conditions in the Greater Reykjavík area.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
Iceland Review

Rock slides prompt intermittent closures of Seward Highway south of Anchorage
Rockfall along the Seward Highway near Beluga Point has been happening since wind and rain battered the area earlier this week.
Anchorage Daily News

Power restored to 5,500 people after a month's worth of snow hits southern Yukon
Marsh Lake was the hardest hit, but power was out 'all over,' said Jay Massie, manager of ATCO Electric Yukon, 'from Teslin to Tagish, Carcross out to Deep Creek and west towards Haines Junction.'
Marsh Lake, Yukon, Canada
CBC

200 reindeer died on an Arctic Island -- and researchers think climate change is to blame
It rained on December 15th in Svalbard and the resulting ice made it difficult for reindeer to graze. The reindeer likely starved to death after being unable to find food, according to scientists at the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI).
Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
CNN

Lineup of Storms and Unseasonable Weather
Multiple storms and warm weather in St. Mary's.
Saint Mary's, Alaska, United States

'What's with the weather?': Wacky weather in Nunavut breaks records
Nunavut experienced some 'strange' weather in the past few days, causing shipping containers to fly through one community and muddy puddles in another.
Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Canada
CBC News

'What's with the weather?': Wacky weather in Nunavut breaks records
Nunavut experienced some 'strange' weather in the past few days, causing shipping containers to fly through one community and muddy puddles in another.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
CBC

Warm & Rainy Fall Season
The past couple years have been warmer than normal contributing to where the river is still flowing ice and with some of the plants still green.
Lower Kalskag, Alaska, United States

Freezing Rain on Kenai Peninsula
Hazardous driving conditions due to freezing rain.
Caribou Hills, Alaska, United States

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

Sure Has Been A Warm Winter
It was a very warm week of the 25th of January, on my way home it started raining pretty heavy, mind you, no snow, but rain. I was expecting maybe some wet snow, but it was not to be...
Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Unseasonably Warm and Rainy
Nome was hit by unseasonably warm temperatures and strong winds.
Nome, Alaska, United States

Warm Wind with Drizzling Rain
A heatwave in Unalakleet, Alaska.
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States

Warm Storms Bring Winter Melt
At lower elevations, there has been melting, hurricane force winds and rain, which have stripped away the snow and left the trails bare, wet, and icy.

Unseasonably Warm Weather
We used to be able to go ice fishing in the lagoon as well as ice skating. Now community members are using a net to get the tomcods.
Nanwalek, Alaska, USA

Unseasonably Warm and Bad Ice
11-11-14 Unseasonable warm - Ruby, Alaska, USA
Ruby, Alaska, United States

Unseasonably warm and raining
11-01-14 Unseasonably warm - Pitkas Point, Alaska, USA
Pitka's Point, Alaska, United States

Heavy Rains and Flooding
Heavy rains and flooding.
Nome, Alaska, United States

Where is the Snow?
1-27-14 Where is the snow - St. Mary's Alaska, USA
St. Mary's, Alaska, United States

Finally snow - then rain
1-20-14 Snow then rain - Shaktoolik, Alaska, USA
Shaktoolik, Alaska, USA

With warm December winds, shaken faith in Arctic weather
Folks here are famous for being able to handle the cold, but anything wet in December has always made us nervous. Especially wet falling from the sky. Lately, weather, our favorite nemesis, has broken the rules. Our confidence in the most-trustworthy feature of the Arctic -- winter -- has been wounded.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Unseasonal Warm Winter
12-7-13 Unseasonably warm weather - Quinhagak, Alaska USA
Quinhagak, Alaska, United States

Starvation killed 80,000 reindeer after unusual Arctic rains cut off the animals’ food supply
Sixty-one thousand reindeer starved to death in the northwestern reaches of the Russian tundra in November 2013 in the largest recorded mortality event of its kind.
Ямало-Ненецкий АО, Russia
Washington Post

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.

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

Rain on snow event in the French Alps
Photograph illustrates the impact of a rain-on-snow event during the winter of 2018.
Courchevel, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

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

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

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

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

Little Ice for Bearded Seal (*Erignathus barbatus*) Hunting
Because of the increased travel distance, only families with larger boats were able to participate in the hunt and bring back enough to make the trip cost effective. With a heavier load in the boat, one family ran out of gas trying to get home and had to be rescued.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States

Groundwater levels bounce back after more rain and snow
More rain and a blanket of snow in recent months has helped Sweden's groundwater levels recover significantly after dropping in several parts of the country.
Sweden
Radio Sweden

Weather worries in south and east
Very heavy rain has affected South and East Iceland throughout Sunday and overnight. An area of Seyðisfjörður has been evacuated and road closures were announced in three places due to an avalanche, an ice flood, and a downed power line.
Seyðisfjörður, East, Iceland
RÚV

Seyðisfjörður Mudslides: Residents Evacuated Again
There was heavy rainfall yesterday across the region. Rain combined with thawing snow and above-freezing temperatures are conditions that increase the likelihood of landslides. The evacuation from six streets was called “precautionary” as authorities are still evaluating whether the slope was destabilized following December landslides.
Seyðisfjörður, East, Iceland
Iceland Review

On Arctic island, a reindeer tragedy
In less than three years, the number of animals on the island of Kolguyev dropped from more than 12,000 to only 153.
Колгуевский сельсовет, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia
The Independent Barents Observer

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

In Russian tundra tragedy, up to 80,000 reindeer might have starved to death
Locals in the far northern Russian region believe between 60,000-80,000 animals might have died of starvation over the past few months. The tragedy follows the formation of a thick layer of ice across major parts of the Yamal tundra.
Yamal Penninsula
The Independent Barents Observer

300 reindeer found dead in Kamchatka
Because of the changeable weather an ice crust arose on the snow and reindeer could not get food on their own. Reindeer herders fed the main herd with compound feed. The dead reindeer, most likely, have strayed from the main herd.
Tigil’, Kamtsjatka, Russia
Reindeerherding.org

Alaska biologists say wood bison reintroduced to the wild are thriving
State biologists completed an annual survey of the Innoko-Yukon River wood bison population earlier this summer, and they say the results show the animals are doing well six years after a seed group of bison was released in the area.
Holy Cross, Alaska, United States
KTOO

25-30 reindeer drowned in the river today
25-30 reindeer drowned in the Kautokeino River today after a herd of reindeer passed through the ice. The accident happened when the herd of reindeer was crossing the fragile ice on the river. This is the third similar incident in the area in a couple of weeks. Yesterday, three reindeer went through the ice. They were all rescued alive. This article is also available in the Sami language at this
Heammogietti, Kautokeino, Troms og Finnmark fylke, Norway

‘This new snow has no name’: Sami reindeer herders face climate disaster
“This new snow has no name,” said Lars-Anders Kuhmunen, a reindeer herder from Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost town, near the Norwegian border. “I don’t know what it is. It is like early tjaevi, which normally comes in March. The winters are warmer now and there is rain, making the ground icy. The snow on top is very bad snow and the reindeer can’t dig for their food.”
Bjurholm, Västerbotten, Sweden
The Guardian

Challenging pastures for reindeer: Difficult conditions in Nordland and Troms, grazing crisis in Indre Finnmark
Changing weather with a lot of snow, rain and strong frost with icing, has made it difficult for the reindeer to reach lichen and moss on the ground in Nordland.
Indre Finnmark, Troms og Finnmark Fylke, Norway

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