Posts Near Anchorage Map Timeline

State fire crews began a 35-acre prescribed burn on Anchorage’s Hillside May 12 between Hilltop Ski Area and the Prospect Heights Trailhead, expecting visible smoke and temporary trail closures.

Anchorage is experiencing the highest tree pollen counts in nearly a decade, with counts reaching thousands of grains per cubic meter from birch, poplar, cottonwood, aspen, willow, and alder, triggering widespread allergy symptoms.

On the last Sunday in April, I received a brief but exciting message. “Frogs are singing,” Barbara Carlson notified me.

A bright fireball was captured streaking across the Southcentral Alaska sky on the morning of April 24, 2025, visible for about six seconds before disappearing behind trees.

A powerful April storm in Anchorage, Alaska, has triggered high avalanche danger along with heavy snowfall and strong winds, leading to travel advisories and warnings from local authorities.

A recent report highlights the unprecedented low snowfall during the 2024-2025 winter in Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska, affecting not only the weather but also events like the Iditarod race.

Salmon advocates have raised concerns over declining salmon numbers, blaming an oversupply of hatchery-reared fish that overwhelms natural stocks and disrupts ocean ecosystems.

Anchorage has upgraded its emergency response to level two due to potential eruption risks from Mount Spurr, located 75 miles west of the city.

Alaska state officials have advanced the start of the official fire season to March 17 in Southcentral, Southeast, and Western Alaska due to unusually low snowpack and warmer temperatures. The change aims to mitigate increased wildfire risks in these populated regions.

The National Weather Service says the city has had no snow at this point in the season only twice before. On average, that doesn’t usually happen until halfway through April. Last year, which turned out to be the second snowiest on record, more than 2 feet blanketed the ground on March 3.

Anchorage is on track to finish February with the least snowfall on record as mild temperatures prevail without measurable snow. Chief Meteorologist Melissa Frey explains the unusual winter pattern with far less snowfall than expected.

The 90th annual Fur Rendezvous Festival kicked off Thursday around Anchorage and is expected to feature its traditional late-winter celebration, despite a winter season marred by low snowfall.

Anchorage starts the Fur Rendezvous Festival with only a trace of snow on the ground under unexpectedly mild winter conditions, although dump trucks delivered snow to the racecourse for event activities.

February fishing and a catch of an introducted species in DeLong Lake.

Residents from Anchorage to Peters Creek felt a 4.3 magnitude earthquake that struck west of Anchorage, with its epicenter about 29 miles away, although no damage or injuries have been reported.

A professional snowboarder criticized the prolonged five‐hour rescue effort after an avalanche swept a backcountry skier down a mountain, cautioning that every minute matters in life‐or‐death situations.

Snow-dependent businesses in Anchorage are struggling as an unusually dry winter with record low snowfall forces snow removal and outdoor gear companies to scale back operations.

Severe weather in Southcentral Alaska has forced the Alaska Railroad to cancel weekend train services between Anchorage and Fairbanks, impacting travelers.

Puzzling on what happened to the songbirds this winter. Could this be attributed to food shortages, invasives species...avian illness? The decline should be giving everyone pause.

The wind storms have been rolling in off the North Pacific, one after another. It is the windest winter and conditions I can recall in my years in Anchorage.

A severe windstorm with gusts nearing 75 mph tore off the roof of a home in Anchorage, Alaska, captured on security footage.

Schools in Anchorage closed due to high winds and rain that caused power outages and property damage in the area.

A severe storm hit Anchorage and Mat-Su, causing power outages for thousands due to high winds and rain. Gusts exceeded 100 mph in higher elevations, with significant impacts across the region.

A powerful wind and rain storm in Southcentral Alaska caused widespread power outages and closures, affecting thousands in the Anchorage area.

A part of a pedestrian bridge collapsed onto the Seward Highway in Anchorage due to high winds, blocking the highway temporarily, though the bridge's main structure remained intact. No injuries were reported.

Unusually high winds and temperatures in Southcentral Alaska have caused power outages, flooding, and landslides, with gusts reaching up to 100 mph and prompting closures and warnings across the region.

An unusually warm January storm with record warmth and hurricane-force winds left Anchorage residents facing extended power outages for four days.

A storm in Southcentral Alaska recorded peak wind gusts reaching up to 110 mph, causing power outages in Anchorage and the Mat-Su area.

Despite the fourth snowiest October on record, roughly half of precipitation in Anchorage has been rain this winter.

There have virtually no songbirds at our bird feeder this month. Wondering (and a little worried) where they have all gone to, and whether this is neighborhood, or something that is being noticed more broadly.

Schools in Susitna Valley were closed due to icy roads after high winds caused power outages in Anchorage and Mat-Su. Winds reached over 40 mph, with higher gusts reported in some areas.

A severe windstorm in Anchorage on Monday night caused widespread damage, including downed trees and power outages, as residents began cleanup efforts the following day.

The temperature at one location in Anchorage rose from 16°F on December 7, to 43°F on December 8, highlighting the large temperature differences in short distances that are common during the winter months in much of Alaska due to the lack of heating from the sun and snow cover.

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.

In Anchorage and Mat-Su, schools shifted to remote learning due to dangerous icy road conditions caused by freezing rain, leading to transportation disruptions and multiple accidents.

Alaska is experiencing an unusual warm-up with a Pacific low bringing heavy rain, freezing rain, and snow. Southeast Alaska reports significant precipitation and above-normal temperatures.

A dead fin whale washed up near downtown Anchorage, attracting hundreds of onlookers while scientists study it to learn more about the whale's life and death.

Alaska's 2024 commercial salmon harvest was among the lowest since records began and offered the lowest inflation-adjusted value to harvesters since 1975.

A 47-foot fin whale washed ashore near Anchorage's Westchester Lagoon. Biologists believe it is a young female and are investigating the cause of its beaching.

A "wintry mix" of snow and rain through Friday morning produced slick conditions for trick-or-treaters in Alaska's largest city. It was a record setting snow fall for the day.

Photos of the animal recently circulated widely online, prompting a flurry of debate about whether the animal was a wolf or just a dog.

An early snowfall was observed in Anchorage on October 9, 2024, weeks ahead of the typical mid-October snow, following a sudden temperature drop from the mid-50s to low 30s Fahrenheit.

An unusually mosquito-free summer in Anchorage, Alaska, despite wet conditions, has prompted discussions among local observers and experts, with no clear correlation found between weather patterns and mosquito activity. Although the numbers and timing are locally influenced, similar observations were shared from Fairbanks and Chistochina.

Anchorage experiences unprecedented rainfall, leading to road closures and flood advisories due to overflowing creeks and waterlogged streets.

Ship Creek in Anchorage will be closed to sport fishing for two weeks to support salmon stock sustainability at a local hatchery.

Never before seen such huge flocks of white winged cross bills

Litter along the stretch of the Glenn Highway from Eagle River to Wasilla is significantly less noticeable.

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.

In past years observers reported on changes in the timing of when spring crust snow develops in Glen Alps. This year the crust is developing at lower elevation(s) but not at Glen Alps. Is it spring in Anchorage and still winter in the Chugach?

A Houston man was injured by a moose near his home, an unusual event linked to increased moose aggression due to harsh winter conditions.

Eklutna Lake Valley experienced an unusually high temperature of 54.7 °F, surpassing Anchorage's all-time February record, likely due to strong southeast winds affecting the region.

A moose caused a stir in an Anchorage Costco parking lot, interacting with shoppers and snacking on the landscaping, reflecting increased human-moose encounters in the area.

A cold snap in Southcentral Alaska has led to increased natural gas demand, causing Enstar to struggle with supply due to equipment failure and technical issues.

Both buildings were occupied during the collapses but everyone got out safely and no injuries were reported, according to Anchorage Fire Department spokeswoman Lexi Trainer.

The warehouse at 4640 Gambell St. damaged Wednesday is owned by Marten Martensen, the primary owner of the Continental Auto Group in Anchorage. He was part of a group that purchased the property in October 2022 and briefly used it to store around 10,000 tires until last December’s successive snowstorms caused the structure to begin collapsing.

The Spenard Builders Supply facility in Anchorage suffered a significant roof collapse due to heavy snow, causing no injuries but damaging the structure and nearby utilities.

More than a dozen states, including several in the Pacific Northwest, are reporting outbreaks of a new respiratory illness. There have also been increases in canine respiratory illness cases at a clinic in Southeast Alaska and another in Southcentral, but there’s no indication yet if those were due to the mystery illness.

Big snow falls, warm temperatures, and strong winds covers snow surface with a variety of seeds from trees.

With Anchorage schools remote again due to a 17-inch snowfall and strong winds, another storm is hitting Southcentral Alaska, potentially causing power outages as trees fall on electric lines.

A snowstorm in Southcentral Alaska causes power outages and leads to the cancellation of a Veterans Day ceremony, while crews work to clear roads and restore electricity.

Schools in Southcentral Alaska are closed due to a snowstorm and power outages, with the Seward Highway being deemed "impassable" and numerous vehicles stranded.

Alaskans are taking advantage of rare ice skating conditions on alpine lakes in Chugach State Park, with hundreds of people hiking into the backcountry to skate on smooth ice in the shadow of iconic peaks.

The van was stopped outside a convenience store on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson when the bears helped themselves to doughnut holes and other pastries.

Intermittent power outages continued across Anchorage Friday as high winds that started the day before toppled trees across the city.

Forecasters say they are measuring near-record moisture in a storm system expected to bring heavy rain and wind to the region, ramping up Friday night and into Saturday.

Red and Black Currants are present on the property and the moose seem to be picky about what berry they like to consume.

Anchorage police killed a black bear that was charging people in neighborhoods near Northern Lights Boulevard and Baxter Road on Sunday night.

The smoke is from numerous wildfires burning in Canada’s Yukon Territory.

The rain in July has been persistent and in some cases intense. At Cheney Lake there is plenty of evidence about the wet summer.

Foam or saliva-looking substance on seen on flowering plants like fireweed and yarrow.

Oil from a nearby fuel container leaked through the water system in the lake most likely due to heavy rains of the past month. Cleanup efforts were ongoing this week. It’s not clear when the park will reopen.

The first half of June was Anchorage’s windiest in more than 50 years, the result of an unusually stormy spring in Alaska.

An unusually strong storm for this time of year was bringing rain and heavy winds to parts of Southcentral Alaska on Sunday.

Over the last several weeks the algae bloom has ranged from significant covering the surface of the lake in many places to today seeing patches of the bloom here and there on the surface. It can also be observed below the surface near the shoreline.

I have never seen so many little tunnels on my lawn before.

Snow dumped on Southcentral Alaska this weekend, with more than 8 inches falling in the Anchorage area and about 5 inches in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. A Climatologist says this weekend has led to a record amount of snowpack this late in the season.

A drainage culvert beneath the street failed, causing the sinkhole.

Three young dogs were euthanized this week after testing positive for parvovirus, an Anchorage Animal Care and Control official said.

Libraries at two Anchorage elementary schools — Klatt and Spring Hill — were closed after the maintenance department identified ceiling damage. The district also decided “out of an abundance of caution” to proactively close the libraries of Bear Valley Elementary, Fire Lake Elementary, and Ravenwood Elementary, which share the same building design with Klatt and Spring Hill.

This is the second reported roof collapse in Anchorage in two days.

Amid an explosion in popularity, access points to the Chugach State Park are overwhelmed and underdeveloped, leading to a push for a new mechanism to handle chronic underfunding.

Engineers caution that residents wanting to clear their own roofs face greater risk of hurting themselves or damaging roofs than from a collapse.

The roof collapsed at a South Anchorage gym during a fitness competition. The Anchorage Office of Emergency Management cautioned residents that the city has had near-record snow conditions this winter, and residents should consider the snow load on their roofs. Officials also warned that property owners should exercise extreme caution if removing snow from their roofs themselves.

Just this month, more than 23 inches of snow have fallen in Anchorage, 17.5 inches above normal. A weekend storm clogged Anchorage streets, creating hazardous road conditions. The Anchorage School District closed school buildings and canceled after-school activities, calling a remote learning day.

Six weeks after a series of snowstorms dumped more than three feet of snow, bus stops along a handful of state-maintained roads remain buried, forcing transit users to navigate deep, slippery drifts and towers of snow.

Climatologist Rick Thoman says climate change is driving this more extreme winter snowfall. As the oceans warm, more moisture evaporates into the air. Then, when the atmospheric conditions are right for a storm, that increased evaporation results in “heavier and heavier precipitation,” Thoman said. That’s in part why Anchorage saw 41.2 inches of snow last month, capping off its wettest year on record, according to the National Weather Service.

City officials say crews have made progress. But there are challenges. Crews are currently focused on hauling snow from main streets that are near schools, said Kohlhase’s Thursday email. He said he hopes to get every school cleared by the time classes resume on Monday, Jan. 9.

Road crews say they’re still working to fully carve out the streets and haul snow away, after the city was hit with a trio of major storms this month. Some of Anchorage’s roads are maintained by the state of Alaska, and others by the city.

Anchorage and Mat-Su Borough schools and state offices are closed Thursday as a third major winter storm this month coated the area with snow overnight Wednesday. “In the past 11 days, we’ve had 41.1 inches of snow which is a lot for Anchorage,” Baines said.

All schools in Anchorage and the Mat-Su Borough are closed Wednesday due to slick roads across the region, as snowfall continues. “This is the heaviest snowfall the Anchorage area has seen in over 20 years,” said state Department of Transportation spokesman Justin Shelby. “Our crews are keeping up as best they can.”

October flew by leaving us with a couple of light snowfalls. November came around with something slightly more impressive, but it wasn't the same. Mid December decided to make up for all of the snowfalls that we missed all at once, it seems like.

"I don’t recall seeing anything like this before."

Over a month of rain has tranformed Anchorage into a rainforest and revealed the plethora of fungi hiding in our lawns, parks and forests.

Anchorage Health Department officials say the person who tested positive is an Anchorage resident and is isolating at home. Officials say the person did not require hospitalization, and was a close contact of a person who recently traveled out of state. 

Interesting cysts covering a young choke cherry tree.

Anchorage saw temperatures spike above 60 degrees every day in June for the first time in recorded history. The city also experienced near record low precipitation: Only 1/10 of an inch of rain fell the entire month.

Unidentified spider observed outside of a commercial building.

The fire also comes as the state of Alaska enters its second highest level of fire preparedness, based on the high number of wildfires burning statewide and the possibility for more.

This season the birch pollen has been particularly bad. Some people with asthma have had to leave the state. The peak was May 18 when pollen counts were 974 grains per cubic meter.

Scott Keenan and his wife Ashlie moved to Anchorage from Sydney, Australia four years ago, and found there were no other apps to help them safely navigate around the new types of wildlife they started to encounter in Alaska. Repawts can help people share important information about wildlife sightings and receive safety alert notifications for anyone hitting the hiking trails, campsites and fishing spots around Alaska.

No residents had been reported injured or missing, and power had been restored to most impacted homes. City officials had also carved a path so residents can travel in the area by snowmachine.

Auto shops are seeing more business because of damaged tires, and drivers are often inching through a messy maze of bad road conditions. Road crews are making headway but still catching up from unfavorable weather last month.

I was watching a flock of redpolls at my feeder when I noticed one unusual member with a huge white body. See photo.

Bohemian waxwings are a wintertime fixture in Anchorage, darting in large flocks from one berry-filled tree to another.

It is November, we have snow and we are skiing the Southcentral Alaska backcountry early and in the best conditions in years.

In the past 10 years there have only been three other weeks where Anchorage was this cold during a seven day period. Those occurred in: January 2020, January 2012, and November 2011.

Bird call on a November night in Anchorage. Maybe a great horned owl?

"We had never before observed a species of the order Diptera, aside from the mosquitos present every year. Around the middle of September this year, however, there was a large influx of houseflies into our home."

"High winds have been occurring in this area, along with high amounts of precipitation."

" I was down by North Fork taking pictures by the stream and noticed the differing speeds in current throughout the small part of the stream in view. A part of the stream was almost completely stagnant and just a little way farther down stream it was flowing like crazy. "

Because of the risk to public safety, efforts will be made to locate this group of river otters and remove them, Fish and Game said.

Snow blanketed parts of Alaska’s largest city Tuesday morning, as Anchorage saw an early, though unofficial, first snowfall of the season. It's technically unofficial because none was reported at the National Weather Service’s official measuring spot on the city’s west side.

"The first snowfall of this year happened so early that the leaves on the trees had not fallen yet. The weight of the snow on top of the trees that had not shed their leaves caused the trees to incur damage."

Ants carrying white rice like objects out of their nest.

“The fact that an otter attacked a person was certainly surprising,” said a wildlife biologist with Fish and Game, who added that it’s hard to know what the motivation behind the otter’s “unusual behavior” was.

"This year I walked along the same route after a rainstorm and see only one or two — sometimes none"

Parts of Interior and Southcentral Alaska will see poor air quality as a result of wildfires this week, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation warned on Tuesday.

"I am seeing spittlebugs deposits everywhere I look in the Sand Lake area."

The haze is expected to subside by the middle of next week, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said.

My unprofessional opinion is that climate change is affecting these endemic roses and that they are in peril.

An unidentified tick was found on the nose of a dog in the backyard of a home in south Anchorage. Neither the family nor their pet had been traveling recently. The identification of the tick species is pending.

Coyotes, first documented in Anchorage around 1900, are not often seen in Anchorage. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates coyote population abundance using the Trapper Questionnaire reports, and consider the Kenai Peninsula, Copper River Valley and Mat-Su Valley to have the highest coyote population densities.

The warming climate in Alaska and across the circumpolar North is creating new health and safety risks for people, animals and ecosystems. This piece is the part of a series that explores zoonotic diseases and other hazards emerging in a warming and thawing Alaska. One warm June day, Joey Ausel found an odd speck

Unseasonably cold air swept into Alaska’s largest city Thursday, and forecasters expect it to stay through the weekend. The cold is plunging south into Alaska all the way from the North Pole, pushing a band of snow through Southcentral.

A red fox roams a popular recreation outlet in Anchorage, and gets quite close to people. Treat encounters with caution, as foxes can carry rabies and other diseases.

Costco customers in Anchorage have recently started sharing online reports of ravens stealing groceries from their carts and the back of their pickup trucks, and biologists say the behavior could spread around town quickly.

A wildlife biologist believes a lynx that recently approached a young girl may have been a juvenile. The girl’s father said he’s now on higher alert after the encounter.

Friday night was probably the best aurora display I've ever witnessed! I captured 4,883 exposures at 5 second intervals from just after 10pm until 5am the next morning.

Last week, Alaska became one of at least 32 states to report finding zebra mussels in a product called moss balls which were sold at local pet stores.

Researchers predict a tripling of thunderstorms by the end of the century, which could lead to heavier rainfall and flash flooding, landslides and more lightning-sparked wildfires.

The highly contagious infection can lead to pneumonia and hits puppies, older dogs and dogs with health problems the hardest. Vaccination against kennel cough protects for about year.

"While teleworking, I looked out the window to see a red breast light in a tree in the front yard in Anchorage, Alaska in January. It was an American robin."

A storm bringing strong wind, rain and snow to Southcentral Alaska on Tuesday caused power outages from Anchorage to Whittier and damaged some homes on the Anchorage Hillside. The weather service reported a peak gust of 133 mph on Sunburst mountain on the western Kenai Peninsula.

Environmental campaigners stressed the need for the incoming Biden White House to put in place permanent protections for Alaska's Bristol Bay after the Trump administration on Wednesday denied a permit for the proposed Pebble Mine that threatened "lasting harm to this phenomenally productive ecosystem" and death to the area's Indigenous culture.

The number of salmon returning to Chester Creek has improved since 2008. This year, spawning salmon are lingering in the creek later than usual.

The repeated run-ins with the bear were part of the reason that one children's camp decided to move out of Russian Jack to another park.

The bear tunneled under the zoo’s perimeter fence and broke through the cedar split rail fence around the alpaca enclosure before killing Caesar, according to the zoo’s executive director, Pat Lampi. Another alpaca -- Fuzzy Charlie -- was found unhurt though wide-eyed and skittish.

Pear shaped cranberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) are likely the result of a genetic mutation.

Found inside house, it was already dead and an interesting specimen.

I have never seen fireweed like this. It is not growing with the normal straight stalk. Is it fireweed? My yard is full of them.

This is the first time I recall seeing Fireweed that has a form like this.

A haze visible through Southcentral Alaska on Wednesday was caused by smoke from fires burning in Siberia that began flowing into Alaska in early July.

We are seeing these little flies every outdoors. I don’t recall them like this in the past.

Smoke from wildfires in Siberia drifted to Alaska last year as well, according to the National Weather Service, but Alaska already had hazy skies from local wildfires.

Between the Seward Highway and Hillside neighborhoods, a pair of swans are raising five just-hatched cygnets. This is the first pair of swans to nest at Potter Marsh in the memory of Anchorage Coastal Refuge managers and local birders.

After the thunderstorms that moved through Southcentral Sunday evening, Anchorage broke a new record…the most consecutive days with a thunderstorm: three.

A lot of people are complaining about the wasps this year. They are actually very beneficial insects in some ways. These are very beneficial insects. They gather other insects to feed their larvae and thus control aphid populations, take out delphinium defoliators and other leaf rollers.

Elevated pollen levels in Anchorage and across Alaska raise questions about changes in respiratory health and the importance of having good air quality during the coronavirus pandemic.

Non-native chukar, used to train bird hunting dogs, spotted in Anchorage.

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.

Snowshoe hare populations are at a high point in Alaska and are making an uncommon appearance in Anchorage.

In big and small ways, a pandemic has altered what Anchorage feels like to live in, from coffee to court to riding the bus.

Unusual winter sighting of a northern shrike (Lanius borealis) could become more common as temperatures rise.

Snowplows? The railroad? “Trumpets in the sky? The noise has been heard on and off for years, but no one appears to have a solid explanation.

No one was hurt when a slab avalanche buried one child and partially buried two others.

A biennial NOAA survey in 2018 estimated the population of the white whales at 250 to 317.

January has so far been colder than average and the trend is expected to continue, breaking the 22-month trend of consecutively warmer-than-normal monthly temperatures.

For the last four nights, temperatures dropped below zero in Anchorage, which isn't uncommon this time of year, but turns out, hasn't been very common in recent history. 

Robins are migratory birds, but may stay in one place if the temperature is warm and/or there is food available.

For many in Anchorage, winter and its accompanying outdoor opportunities are something to relish rather than escape. But residents of the state’s largest city are being forced to renegotiate their relationship with winters.

The snowfall came after Anchorage broke the daily record for warmest Dec. 31, with temperatures at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport measuring 46 degrees.

What little snow has fallen in recent weeks has disappeared, leaving inviting surfaces and smooth terrain to explore.

No one was injured when a car hit a 6-foot-by-8-foot rock that fell from cliffs next to the Seward Highway late Wednesday.

Most of Anchorage is currently covered in ice, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to ski.

The highway closed after rocks covered the northbound lane at mile 111, near McHugh Creek. A second rock slide was reported near mile 106.5.

A wind gust of 113 mph was recorded Monday morning along the Seward Highway near Potter Marsh. Above-freezing temperatures are making side streets icy.

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.

While Anchorage was getting hammered by wind, snow was piling up in the Susitna Valley — with a whopping 4 feet of snow at Hatcher Pass, according to a rough estimate.

Rockfall along the Seward Highway near Beluga Point has been happening since wind and rain battered the area earlier this week.

Lenny didn’t have a wound on him but hasn’t been the same since, his owner says.

As much of the Lower 48 braces for frigid weather, Anchorage-area temperatures have run some 13 degrees above normal so far this month.

Mergansers (Mergus merganser) are not common visitors to Cheney Lake, but a flock of about a dozen showed up in early November.

By better aligning the tire season with average snowfall, the city hopes to limit road deterioration.

Caused by eating fish that has not been properly chilled, symptoms can last up to 48 hours and include severe headaches, palpitations, blurred vision and abdominal cramps.At least seven people fell ill between May and August. Between 2015-2018, there were only five.

The dog’s owner waded waist-deep into Taku Lake and was bitten on his hand while pulling the husky-mix away from the river otters,.

Alaska’s warming winters and the broader habitat for ticks in the Lower 48 and Canada may provide a channel for rarer types to get to Alaska and survive there.

Steller's jay has one tick on each foot. The ticks may be a species that is commonly found on birds or a species that was picked up from a mammal as the bird was scavenging.

"To grow tomatoes you need eight hours of sunlight each day. Not a problem. But you also need 3-4 months of warm temperatures between 55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. That's the problem."

River otters (Lutra canadensis) observed in a lake that typically is home to beavers.

At some point even commercial tree removers will need help with disposal. And what should be planted in their place?

The intensity of the smoke this week will be “hit or miss” depending on winds and fire behavior.

The region has seen less than an inch of rainfall since June 1 and no measurable rain at all during August, putting it on track to beat a 50-year record.

Usually by August, peak fire season has passed. But fire and climate experts say conditions in Southcentral Alaska were nearly perfect for fire this weekend, from the sky to the dry forest floor.

Fred Meyer is employing an aggressive pest-control plan after customers spotted mice in the store through Southcentral Alaska’s unusually warm summer.

River otters observed within Anchorage city limits.

On another year, Christy might just now be finishing up the harvest. But today, the only flowers left from this season are stored in a walk-in cooler.

These tiny, black, thread-like pests dig into plants and like to hang about in gangs, which is why you see so many of them. It is as if they want to be as annoying as possible.

Alaska has experienced a series of seal mortalities in June that were concentrated in the northern part of the state. This dead seal was found on the bluff near a public park in Anchorage.

Wildlife officials used rotenone, a fish-killing chemical, to eradicate goldfish illegally introduced to the pond at Cuddy Family Midtown Park.

"I am worried that unless we do something, the algae will kill the lake, or at least our enjoyment of it."

Change is coming to Alaska’s plants, animals, insects and microbes, and gardening practices will need to change too.

"He could have picked it up in the backyard or on an earlier walk to the park."

Our operations and maintenance staff do their best to insure all mechanical systems are functioning properly. But several factors limited their ability to respond, including significant smoke from the Swan Lake wildfire.

Unidentified urban garden spider. Without a photo or a specimen, confirmation of the species is impossible.

The city is so parched and hot that even a cigarette tossed into a pile of fluffy cottonwood fiber could ignite a fire.

With ice shortages and hardly a fan to be found, the high temperatures this week have pushed some Alaskans to their limit.

There’s little relief from the daytime heat in the forecast for the rest of the holiday weekend.

Forecasters expect temperatures in Anchorage to fall back down into the high 70s and low 80s by next Friday — though that’s still about 10 degrees warmer than the average for this time of year.

The fire had reached 90% containment by Thursday evening, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry.

Smoke from wildfires in Alaska could cause very unhealthy air quality conditions and low visibility over the weekend in Anchorage, the state's largest city, officials said.

The fish, likely former aquarium pets, have attracted the attention of invasive-species managers.

As government officials look for money for a study, university professors working with students say there’s plenty of data available — and little time to lose.

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.

Hikers in the Anchorage area are advised to use caution on the Turnagain Arm Trail, following multiple reports of a black bear displaying unusual behavior.

The forest on the East side of Cheney Lake is changing and the biggest change is the proliferation of May Day trees.

City park staff have set up barriers in hopes of encouraging passersby to stay far away. Potential fixes could include putting up a wall and relocating the bike path or road.

The plan is a broad vision for what the municipality wants Anchorage to look like in 2050, with a focus on dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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.

Thunderstorms are rare in Anchorage due to its proximity to the coast and protection by the Chugach Mountains from moist air traveling up from Southeast. Thursdays storm produced lightening that struck a power line and caused an outage, and produced nickel-sized hail in Eagle River.

Unfamiliar insect found near Potters Marsh, identified as a red velvet mite (family Trombidiidae).

A second whale has been found dead floating in the middle of Turnagain Arm, just two weeks after a juvenile humpback whale was found dead on the Arm after stranding itself twice.

The worst-hit areas appear to be established neighborhoods with older spruce trees, especially in Turnagain and Spenard.

It’s the first reported sighting of the falcated duck on mainland Alaska, Fish and Game says.

On Tuesday, the city’s Assembly is receiving the 106-page document, which outlines everything from transportation recommendations to emission reduction targets.

Seasonal swings set drivers up for bad trip.

I rarely see trumpeter swans on the lake, and I don't ever remember seeing them so early.

The closures of the campgrounds, facing the threat of falling trees, likely will last through summer, the state parks division said.

Why air quality is worse at different times of day and how you might be violating city code with your leaf blower.

Spring has come about a month early. Is the mating season for our state bird, the Willow Ptarmigan, early as well?

Warmer than normal temperatures in Anchorage may be causing willows (genus Salix) to bud early.

The snow cover in Anchorage and the Chugach is disappearing very quickly. Go out and get it while you can!

Officials cited rockfall danger and traffic hazards created by people stopping to fill containers.

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) are usually a common visitor to my bird feeder, however this is the first time one has been spotted at the feeder during the 2018-2019 winter.

Biological samples to be tested for tuberculosis and botulism have been sent to California and Washington since the Nov. 30 quake damaged the Anchorage facility.

If high temperatures melt snow and that leads to a bear’s den getting flooded, that’s another reason the bear might head outside. It’ll likely try to find another den, Farley said.

Authorities warned that drivers should use caution in the area due to the potential for additional rockslides.

A Fish and Game biologist urges people to give the animals space.

It has been a month since the 7.0 earthquake in Anchorage. Are these sinkholes which suddenly appeared related?

Despite it almost being January, an Eagle River homeowner has captured footage of a black bear awake and active around her house.

Northwest crow (Corvus caurinus) pair nesting in Anchorage, possibly north of range.

Hundreds of people have combed the terrain near Big Lake, but there’s still no sign of LaVerne and Van Pettigen.

From Eagle River to Wasilla, people on private wells are contending with cloudy water -- and worse.

At least one car was on the ramp at the time of the quake, a photo of which circulated on social media Friday morning.

Seismologists called the quake the most significant in the state’s largest city since 1964, in terms of how strong the ground itself shook.

Spruce beetles damaged nearly 600,000 acres of forest in 2018, and the damage continues to grow.

Record-breaking October weather in much of Alaska has meant ice-free Arctic communities and fresh fruit and foliage in Southcentral.

The latest tally of beetle kill shows more than 550,000 acres of forest with dead spruce from the ongoing infestation this year alone, much of it in Mat-Su.

Erosion of Kincaid beach bluffs accelerated compared to previous years.

Lightning strikes seen Monday in Cook Inlet and on the Kenai Peninsula were heading toward South Anchorage, a meteorologist said.

Black bears have taken over a Juneau arboretum, shut down a fish-cleaning facility in Cordova and added to an unusually high year of bear kills in Anchorage, prompting one wildlife authority to call this summer the "craziest" year of bear encounters he's seen.

You're not imagining things: September's weather has been one for the record books, for both the warm weather and unusual streak of sunny days.

Discolored spruce (Picea sitchensis) needles

State transportation workers found wet ground may have contributed to the small landslide, despite the lack of recent rain.

"They are extremely fresh-looking, as if it were the springtime."

Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility (AWWU) addressed beach erosion and bluff recession that was affecting its Beach Tower, which is part of AWWU’s Asplund Wastewater Treatment Facility (AWWTF) at Point Woronzof in West Anchorage.

Water quality in Anchorage's lakes is generally good, but swimmer's itch is a risk.

Anchorage hit 80 degrees Tuesday night, beating a record set in 1979, according to the National Weather Service.

Michael Soltis’ death is the second fatal bear attack in the Anchorage municipality in two summers.

We have over two weeks of cold windy weather. It started in mid April around the time of the big wind storm. And in relation of the wind storm on April 24th, Rick Thoman wrote: "Winds this strong in the Anchorage are rare at this time of year. An unusually strong storm for the season in the southeastern Bering Sea produced southeast strong winds blowing across the Chugach Mountains. However, being April, the temperature profile of the atmosphere close to the ground was more conducive than in winter for allowing the very strong winds aloft to reach down to the ground.

One reading on the Hillside clocked winds reaching 91 miles per hour. The day saw reports of property damage, road closures and downed power lines.LEO Note: According to Rick Thoman of NWS, these are unusually high winds for April.

One reading on the Hillside clocked winds reaching 91 miles per hour. The day saw reports of property damage, road closures and downed power lines.LEO Note: According to Rick Thoman of NWS, these are unusually high winds for April.

“If black bears are starting to stir, brown bears could be, too,” a state Fish and Game official said.

Fishing businesses in Mat-Su warned that the rules could hurt the state's tourism economy.

A flock of European Starlings sighted at a mid-town Anchorage building.

Bats are a pretty low priority for most Alaskan biologists, but that could be changing due to a recent uptick in the creature’s population. Add to that a disease that’s been killing millions of bats in the lower 48, and Alaska might be taking note with the rest of the nation very soon. Listen now

Leaning utility poles in south Anchorage

The storm that walloped Southcentral Alaska also left about 32 inches of snow in Moose Pass and 30 in Seward.

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."

Though snow is scant in Anchorage, organizers are confident they will be able to host the Jan. 3-8 race series.

Anchorage sidewalks were slick with ice and the roads were full of puddles because of unseasonably high temperatures.By mid morning the temperature had reached 46 degrees.

Unidentified Jay sighted in southcentral Alaska, early December.

Two moose calves found dead outside separate Anchorage homes on Friday are believed to have died from eating poisonous ornamental plants.

A National Weather Service employee spotted an ice jam that's causing some minor flooding northwest of the Starner Street bridge, along Peters Creek.

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.

Near record stretch of foggy days at Ted Stevens International Airport.

This is the second longest period of visibility remaining this low at the Anchorage Airport.

Tissue from the recent necropsy on a humpback whale remains on Kincaid beach

One important factor is the depth of the lake. But there are other variables too.

A heavy fog that rolled into Anchorage in time for Halloween is expected to persist into Thursday afternoon.

Increase in red voles and gray shrews, compared to the last three years.

The bear got into the facility through a door trucks use to access the building, a USPS spokeswoman said.

The extraordinary sight of a 30-foot long dead humpback whale that washed up on a beach area in Anchorage.

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.

Chugach State Park hikers survey the damage from hot days in July when the rainforest burned.

Funnel cloud photographed from the air while flying near Flathorn Lake

Horntail wood wasp (family Siricidae), attracted by fire damaged wood, observed a year after the McHugh fire along the Seward Highway.

Identified by ADFG as skin irritation caused by moose flies, (Haematobosca alcis) bites.

The whales seem to have died from starvation and washed up on shore from California to Alaska

I've only heard this animal in the spring/summer.

Nearly all emperors winter in the Aleutian Islands, on the western and south side of the Alaska Peninsula, and on Kodiak Island. However, sightings have occurred as far south as California and even Hawaii.

Alaska Division of Forestry spokesman Norm McDonald said the 2-acre fire's exact cause has not been determined but is suspected to be similar to that of four smaller Mat-Su wildfires earlier Thursday. Those blazes were tracked to backfires from a white Chevrolet pickup truck.

A bright little unknown beetle in the middle of my kitchen.

Location:  Two locations in the same Hillside neighborhood:  1st Location:  Metz Court, 2nd Location:  Park Hills Drive – Anchorage,

At Friday's and Saturday's Cook Inlet Conference championships, they were challenged by some of the toughest courses set for high school skiers in recent years.

Scientists recently announced they had found an Asian tapeworm species in pink salmon caught off the coast of the Kenai Peninsula. Listen now

In Anchorage, the temperatures forecast for this week won't come close to breaking any city records, Ahsenmacher said. But they are a departure from years of mild winters that rarely saw temperatures below zero.

After years of low snow and higher winter temperatures, Anchorage once again looks like a real northern city thanks to a heavy layer of frost.

It has been three years since the Anchorage ski jumping club has been able to hold our New Year competition.

Never seen anything like that in before.