Anchorage

Anchorage finished March 2026 as its coldest March on record, with average high temperatures far below normal. The forecast calls for a gradual warming trend into early April, with some light snow chances in parts of Southcentral and other regions.

The 2026 Iditarod Trail Invitational faced deep snow, strong winds, extreme cold, and stretches of open water that caused many riders and skiers to scratch and raised frostbite and hypothermia risks. Conditions were far harsher than the unusually mild race the year before, with some participants requiring rescue.

A bright meteor (fireball) was captured on video streaking across the night sky over Southcentral Alaska, including footage from east Anchorage and Eagle River. The American Meteor Society encourages witnesses to report fireball sightings.

A natural avalanche at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska, occurred before opening on Feb. 5, 2026, prompting closure of several upper-mountain lifts but causing no injuries or damage. Resort crews conducted avalanche mitigation and planned to reassess conditions before reopening.

A winter storm pushed Anchorage to a record 36.4 inches of snow for January, prompting early school dismissals and difficult driving conditions. Police reported dozens of vehicles stuck and multiple crashes without injuries as plows worked to clear major roads.

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.

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.

Flooding creek water, possibly caused by a creek freezing over, closed the right northbound lane of Elmore Road in Anchorage between Dowling Road and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, police said.

A sustained cold snap is settling over Southcentral Alaska and could last for weeks, with below-normal temperatures and little snow expected. Despite a warmer-than-normal November, forecasters say a dry Arctic air flow will dominate; climate warming may also mean more freezing rain and Chinook-related icing events.

A magnitude-6 earthquake struck at 8:11 a.m. AKST on Nov. 27, 2025, centered 37 miles northwest of Anchorage at a depth of 43 miles. Shaking was felt across Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the Kenai Peninsula, and as far as Fairbanks.

After spotting six wolves on a trail near her home, one Anchorage resident says she's seen the pack multiple times since late August.

From about 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon to 3 a.m. Friday morning, weather forecasters say about 8 inches of snow blanketed the city.

Anchorage residents have reported more wolf sightings since late summer, including a six-wolf pack seen near Far North Bicentennial Park, but biologists say negative encounters are rare and urge calm. Fish and Game is collaring wolves to better understand their movements after an October incident where wolves injured a pet dog.

Anchorage extended a local disaster declaration to support evacuees from Typhoon Halong’s flooding in Western Alaska, opening two city shelters and preparing for up to 1,600 arrivals. Schools and nonprofits are mobilizing, with significant donated funds set to be distributed soon.

The American Red Cross of Alaska is preparing to support up to 2,000 flood evacuees through the winter in Anchorage, operating shelters as residents from hard-hit Western Alaska villages continue arriving. Evacuees describe gratitude for aid and concerns about adapting to big-city life.

Autumn is marked by delayed leaf fall and reduced rainfall, with temperatures higher than historical averages, suggesting potential climate shifts.

A cluster of pale white mushrooms thriving under a leafless tree in Anchorage highlights the unusual impact of warmer, wetter conditions on fungal growth in northern climates, contrasting the tree's winter dormancy with the fungi's late-season fruiting.

This summer, Alaska experienced an unprecedented heat advisory in Juneau and Fairbanks, marking a significant and unusual shift in its typically cold climate.

A video captured an unusually large group of bears at Fort Richardson National Cemetery on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage on Friday evening. The filmer said he regularly sees bears there in summer and fall but never so many at once.

Alaska has issued a statewide quarantine banning the import, transport and sale of European bird cherry (Prunus padus) and chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), invasive trees that displace native vegetation and can harm wildlife. The order, effective Sept. 1, 2025, expands Anchorage’s 2017 ban and aims to curb further spread and disease risks.