Jeffrey Cheng, 33, died in the slide. One of his friends managed to hold on to a tree as waves of avalanche debris washed over his head. The third member of their group wasn’t caught.
It’s not dangerous at this point to drive on the Sterling Highway, though smoke may reduce visibility.
The fire had reached 90% containment by Thursday evening, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry.
Lightning is unusual in a city that, according to the National Weather Service, sees fewer than two thunderstorms a year. It was the first time the power company had seen a lightning-related power outage in 15 years.
Hundreds of people have combed the terrain near Big Lake, but there’s still no sign of LaVerne and Van Pettigen.
It's possible the trio’s canoe was upset by a calving, or shedding, piece of ice. Although all three were wearing life jackets, none was wearing a wetsuit to protect against the frigid water.
“Smoke concentrations will be such that they could impact public health at times, according to an advisory issued by the state Division of Air Quality.
The sweeping list of potential health implications includes the introduction of new diseases, an increase in accidents and a worsening allergy season.
Some mushers worried what the warm weather would mean for the trail ahead.
For a March evening in the Interior Alaska village of Nikolai, Tuesday was warm.
In Southeast Alaska this summer, researchers have seen extremely high levels of harmful toxins in mussels and clams plucked from beaches.
A pilot first spotted the whale last week. What caused the whale’s death isn’t yet known.
Half the bears were killed by people who said they were defending their lives or property. The other half were killed by police, park rangers or wildlife biologists.
The bears won’t hibernate if food remains available, so the continued availability of trash in the area has created a dangerous situation, biologists say.
Records show there were 18 years without any days of thunderstorms in Anchorage. The average is about 1.4 days of thunderstorms a year. This year there have already been four, and more over the Chugach.
Temperatures in the area were unseasonably high last week, reaching into the mid-40s, according to the National Weather Service. Then temperatures dropped below freezing Sunday and into Monday morning. "There's a lot of water flowing underground in this area," McCarthy said. The freeze-thaw "caused some instability and that made it slide."
The significant explosive eruption started around 10 a.m. Monday, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported.
To varying degrees, nearly the entire state was warmer than normal this July, according to a weather expert.
It's not yet clear what led to the humpback’s death or where it died, and biologists are warning people to stay away from the carcass.
For the second time in three years, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will move its official start from Willow to Fairbanks due to poor trail conditions that race officials determined unsafe.
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