The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer

After the Big Snow Rapid, change is rarely good, particularly when it comes to spring time weather and break up. On February 16, Prensa Latina reported that the snowfall in Russia was higher than it had been in decades. The article caught my attention as we were also having a big snow year in Alaska. On January 29, Anchorage hit the 100-inch (254 cm) mark, earlier than any time in history. On April 12, we tied the second snowiest winter on record with an impressive 132.6 inches (345 cm). Some people are hoping more snow will come and break the record, while everyone is wondering what break up this year will bring. On the same day, April 12, the mayor of the Russia city of Orenburg (population 505,000) ordered a citywide evacuation as the Ural River flooded its banks and swept through the city. Almost 12,000 homes were flooded across the region. Throughout April, record flooding has been reported from Southern Russian to Northern Kazakhstan. According to Maria Shahgedanova, a climate scientist at the University of Reading, about 1/2 of the floods have been caused by a rapid temperature change, another 1/3 is the result of extreme rainfall, and about 15% from ice jams. These events in Russia should give us pause, in Anchorage and in other cities experiencing extreme precipitation events. Things can warm up fast in the springtime and record setting precipitation may not come in the form of snow. Last week the city of Kodiak (400 miles south of Anchorage) was drenched with five inches of rain over a 48-hour period. The rains brought flooding and landslides that damaged one home. While Alaska braces for break up, western Canada is grappling with snow drought. See stories about the snowpack in BC and the potential implications for an early wildfire season. Mike Brubaker, Editor

	Russia reports the snowiest winter in the last decades Moscow, Moscow, Russia Prensa Latina - Latin American News Agency / February 16, 2024 The current winter can be classified as abnormal and the snowiest in recent decades, the scientific director of the Russian Hydrometeorological Center, Roman Vilfand. Read article on Prensa Latina - Latin American News Agency
	'Worst floods in decades' hit Kazakhstan and Russia Orsk, Orenburg, Russia Vicky Wong / BBC / April 7, 2024 Unprecedented flooding strikes Kazakhstan and Russia, marking the worst in decades for the region. The worse than usual seasonal floods have been caused by melting snow. Across the border in Russia, an oil refinery in the city of Orsk, 1,800km southeast of Moscow, has stopped operations because of the floods. Read article on BBC
	Russia’s Orenburg Orders Mass Evacuation as City Braces for Flood Peak Оренбург, Orenburg, Russia The Moscow Times / The Moscow Times / April 12, 2024 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. Read article on The Moscow Times
	Anchorage winter ties for second snowiest on record but hitting all-time mark unlikely Anchorage, Alaska, United States Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage / Alaska Public Media / April 12, 2024 A whopping 132.6 inches of snow -- more than 11 feet -- fell on the city this winter, as of the latest measurement Friday. Read article on Alaska Public Media
	Up to five inches of rain brings landslide, road flooding Kodiak, Alaska, United States STEVE WILLIAMS Kodiak Daily Mirror / Kodiak Daily Mirror / April 18, 2024 An East Hillcrest Ave. home was damaged in a mudslide brought by heavy rains Thursday afternoon. Read article on Kodiak Daily Mirror
	Nome and the region hit with back-to-back snow storms Nome, Alaska, United States The Nome Nugget / April 19, 2024 Three weeks in a row, residents of Nome and the Southern Seward Peninsula Coast received winter storm warnings from the National Weather Service. Seven out of the last eight springs have been unusually stormy. This spring alone, since March, there have been eight significant storm days. Read article on The Nome Nugget
	B.C.'s spring snowpack is the lowest on record Prince George, British Columbia, Canada CBC / As of April 1, the provincial snowpack was 63 per cent of normal, with warming seasonal temperatures slowing snow accumulation. At this time last year, the snowpack measured 88 per cent of normal. Read article on CBC
	Canada's 2024 wildfire season expected to be even worse than last year's Canada Olivia Rumbell / nationalpost / Due to a mild winter and warmer year, this wildfire season is looking to be worse, not better, than the last Read article on nationalpost

The Northern Climate Observer is published by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news coverage from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events. Thank you for reading our newsletter and for paying attention to our changing world.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern Climate Observer is published weekly by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
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