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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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Observations

Hurricane Melissa winds hit record-breaking 252 mph, data confirms
Researchers recorded a record-breaking wind gust as Hurricane Melissa lashed the Caribbean in late October.
Kingston, Kingston, Jamaica

Power outages over 16 hours in Salla as crews work late; customers worry about freezers
Heavy snowfall caused widespread power outages in Salla and eastern Lapland, leaving some customers without electricity for over 16 hours as repair crews worked into the evening. Thousands lost power at the peak; even a mobile phone base station went down.
Salla, Lapland, Finland
Lapin Kansa

Remnants of Typhoon Halong bring widespread damage to Western Alaska
A powerful, ongoing storm in Western Alaska has flooded communities, destroyed homes and left some residents injured by flying debris. Officials say rescue efforts are underway after floodwaters in multiple communities swept homes off their foundations. The remnants of Typhoon Halong tracked farther east than expected, slamming into the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta coast early on Sunday morning. Officials said Sunday afternoon that the hardest hit communities appeared to be Kipnuk, Kwigillingok and Napakiak.
Kwigillingok, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media
Evan Erickson, Casey Grove, Desiree Hagen, Alena Naiden, Ben Townsend, Samantha Watson

Lasting impacts of Storm Vaia
Storm Vaia, a rare and catastrophic Mediterranean storm in October 2018, devastated Northern Italy's forests, felling approximately 15 million trees and causing over 1.7 billion euros in damages, with lingering impacts including increased vulnerability to wind events because of the loss of forest.
Moena, Trentino, Italy

SOS Overloaded with Fire Alarms: "It Takes Longer to Get Help"
SOS Alarm in Norrbotten, Sweden is experiencing extreme call volumes from approximately 20 fires triggered by lightning in a heatwave, resulting in delayed emergency response times.
Norrbotten, Sweden
SVT Nyheter

Flash floods like the one that swept through Texas are the nation’s top storm-related killer
Flash floods kill an average of 127 people annually in the U.S., and nearly half of all deaths involve vehicles. People don’t realize that it doesn’t take much water to strand or even sweep away a car.
Ingram, Texas, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Interior wildfires: Bear Creek Fire disables cell tower as ash falls in Healy, Ferry
The Bear Creek Fire in Interior Alaska has grown to over 26,000 acres, disabled a cell tower in Denali Borough, and sent ash drifting over Healy and Ferry, prompting expanded evacuation alerts and disrupting communications.
Healy, Denali Borough, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Wildfires prompt evacuations in parts of Fort St. John, disrupt cellphone and internet in Tumbler Ridge
Wildfires in B.C.'s northeast forced evacuations in parts of Fort St. John and disrupted communications in Tumbler Ridge amid warm, windy conditions that raised fire danger.
Northeast British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

Beaufort Sea ice cuts fiber-optic cable, limiting internet for about 20,000 residents of Northwest Alaska through summer
Shifting sea ice patterns resulting from climate change are imperiling the subsea cable in ways the company did not plan for.The subsea cable is owned by Quintillion but affects companies delivering internet access to residents, schools and local governments.
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Death toll from Spanish floods tops 200 as shock turns to anger and frustration
The damage from the storm Tuesday and Wednesday recalled the aftermath of a tsunami, with survivors left to pick up the pieces as they mourn loved ones lost in Spain’s deadliest natural disaster in living memory. Many streets were still blocked by piled-up vehicles and debris, in some cases trapping residents in their homes. Some places still don’t have electricity, running water, or stable telephone connections.
Valencia, Valencia, Spain
Associated Press

Coastal Yukon River faces flood advisory as lower Kuskokwim catalogs flood impacts
Communities along the lower Kuskokwim River and coastal areas in Western Alaska assess damage from recent storms, with flooding and erosion impacting homes and infrastructure, and a new storm potentially exacerbating conditions.
Western Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media
Sage Smiley, KYUK - Bethel and Evan Erickson, KYUK - Bethel

St. Johnsbury, Vermont, Area Flooded
A localized round of heavy rain has wreaked havoc on the St. Johnsbury, Vermont, area, washing out some roads and damaging homes. This same area was hit hard with flooding just 19 days prior as the remnants of Beryl crossed North America. About two dozen rescues took place during the latest round of flooding and officials warned that the impacts could worsen as creeks rise further or more rain arrives.
St Johnsbury, Vermont, United States
The Weather Channel

Four killed as heavy rains pound South Korea
Weather agency says the severity of the precipitation is only seen ‘once in about 200 years’.
Gunsan-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Al Jazeera

Afghanistan floods devastate villages, killing 315
Northern Afghanistan devastated by flash floods, 315 dead, 1,600 injured. Thousands of homes damaged, livestock lost. Villagers lack essentials.
Nahrīn, Wilāyat-e Baghlān, Afghanistan
The Times of India

'Worst floods in decades' hit Kazakhstan and Russia
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.
Orsk, Orenburg, Russia
BBC

Arrival of heavy rain means risk for structures, boats and avalanches even higher after record snow
Heavy rain forecasted after record snowfall in Juneau increases risks of structural damage, boat sinkings, and avalanches, prompting officials to urge residents to clear drains and snow from properties and vessels.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

Powerful earthquakes leave at least 55 dead, destroy buildings along Japan's western coast
Damage was so great that it could not immediately be assessed. Japanese media reports said tens of thousands of homes were destroyed.
輪島市, Ishikawa, Japan
AP News

At least 3 dead in Wrangell after landslide destroys homes
A landslide in Wrangell, Alaska, killed three people, destroyed homes, and left three missing after heavy rainfall triggered the disaster.
Wrangell, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Mat-Su schools closed Tuesday after blizzard hits power lines, highways
Mat-Su schools will be closed Tuesday due to a blizzard causing power outages and hazardous driving conditions.
Matanuska Valley, Alaska, United States
Chris Klint, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

Hurricane 'Otis' left 27 dead and 3 missing as it passes through Guerrero
Hurricane 'Otis' caused 27 deaths and 3 missing persons in Guerrero, Mexico, with severe damage to infrastructure, including roads, hospitals, airports, and the electrical grid. It is unusual for this type of phenomenon to occur. It is not normal for tropical cyclones to be storms and intensify to category 5 in a period of 12 hours.
Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
La Jornada

Atmospheric river triggers flood watch for Anchorage and broad swath of Southcentral Alaska
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.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Hilary leaves massive flooding, mudslides, upheaval across Southern California
The first tropical storm to hit Los Angeles in 84 years dumped record rainfall and turned streets into muddy, debris-swollen rivers.
Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

More than 271 structures impacted by Lahaina fire
More than 271 structures have been impacted by the Lahaina fire, the U.S. Civil Air Patrol and Maui Fire Department reported after flyovers of Lahaina town on Wednesday..
Lahaina, Hawaii, United States
mauinews.com

Tsunami warning canceled following strong earthquake off Alaska Peninsula
The magnitude 7.2 earthquake initially triggered sirens and evacuations in communities including Sand Point and Kodiak.
Sand Point, Alaska, United States

Large-scale internet outage due to cut fiberoptic cable interrupts business as usual
On Sunday, Nomeites noticed that their internet wasn’t working and that cell service was spottier than usual. Large fiberoptic line was damaged by sea ice deep underneath the moving sea ice above.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

At least 26 dead after tornado-spawning storms roll through Southeast. One town is 'gone,' mayor says
At least 26 people were killed and dozens injured after powerful storms and at least one tornado pummeled the Southeast on Friday night, ripping roofs off homes, nearly leveling some neighborhoods and knocking out power for thousands, officials said.
Rolling Fork, Mississippi, United States

California faces more flooding after yet another powerful Pacific storm
A late-season Pacific storm that brought damaging winds and more rain and snow to saturated California was blamed for at least two deaths.
Boulder Creek, California, United States
Associated Press

Why are scientists concerned about rain on snow in the California mountains?
The combination has resulted in some of the US' most destructive and costly floods, including the 1996 Midwest floods and the 2017 flood that damaged California’s Oroville Dam
Truckee, California, United States
Firstpost

Train derailed by avalanche debris
Alaska Railroad freight train derailed early Tuesday after plowing into avalanche debris south of Girdwood. The debris spread roughly 300 feet across the tracks.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States

‘Half of Golovin underwater,’ residents shovel sand out of homes
GOLOVIN RESIDENTS ARE IN CLEANUP MODE as their community works to restore power, phone service and clear debris. After the flood waters receded from the weekend’s severe fall storm, some locals are left with feet of sand in their homes. “At my place we’ve got three feet of sand we’re still shoveling out with the crew here, trying to get the sand out of the living area so we can get the sheetrock to go ahead and dry off,” Alaska Senator Donny Olson of Golovin said.
Golovin, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

Storm images from Kotzebue
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
Jacqualine Schaeffer, Jimmy Evak, James Benzschawel, Chris Dankmeyer

Powerful storm slams Western Alaska
A historically powerful storm slammed into Western Alaska Friday night and into Saturday, bringing major flooding and high winds to a huge swath of coastal communities. By Saturday evening, the state said it had received no reports of injuries or deaths related to the storm. But damage had torn across hundreds of miles of Alaska’s coastline impacting communities all along the way. Alaskans described water flooding homes and roads. Wind tore off roofs. Houses floated off their foundations. Boats sank.
Nome, Alaska, United States

Death toll breaches 1,030 mark as floods wreak havoc
Over the past 24 hours, nearly 0.95 million houses and 0.72 million livestock were flooded while 0.27 million houses were destroyed and 3,116 kilometres of highways and 149 bridges were washed away.
Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan
The Express Tribune

Dunleavy issues disaster declaration for Interior Alaska and Mat-Su storms
Extreme winds and cold temperatures have affected the areas. At one point over the weekend, 20,000 households in Mat-Su lost power.
Palmer, Alaska, United States

Storm related flooding and infrastructure damage
"We lost internet and a power outage effected several residential homes and businesses. Of course there was no way to travel. Thankfully no medical emergencies."
Golovin, Alaska, United States
Carol Oliver, Racheal Lee, Edward "Ted" Smith, Anahma Shannon

Back-to-back storms bring screaming winds to Nome and region
Back-to-back winter storms hit Nome and the region with very strong, screaming winds and accompanying blowing snow. While the first storm on Friday seemed just like a warm up, the second storm hit the region with very strong winds that knocked out power in Wales, ripped buildings apart in Golovin and brought water levels up 6.73 feet over normal. The high winds also pushed away ice cover.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Fiona's aftermath in Port aux Basques: 'It looks like a bomb went off'
'We did what we could to prepare, and still, we were underprepared'. Harvey’s assessment is much uglier in the daylight. Much of the town looks like it took a point-blank blast from an army tank. The photos do little to capture the sheer shock of local residents, especially those who lost their homes. Some are a bit more stoic than others, focused on rebuilding. Others are understandably much more raw and emotional, dissolving into tears while passerby rush to comfort them.
Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Saltwire.com

High winds knock out power, bring subzero wind chills to Bristol Bay
The Bristol Bay Times - Serving Dillingham, Naknek, King Salmon and Southwest villages
Koliganek, Alaska, United States
The Bristol Bay Times

'We have nowhere': B.C. First Nations, rural residents say storm permanently changed the land
"For our grandchildren and their children, now the devastation has left them nothing": Shackan First Nation Chief Arnold Lampreau.
Merritt, British Columbia, Canada
vancouversun

Another break in fiber network causes temporary internet and cell service outage in Arctic Alaska
Quintillion reconfigured the network and temporarily restored service as of Tuesday afternoon, the company’s president said. The break happened in an area with ongoing oil and gas maintenance and development.
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States
Arctic Sounder

Hurricane Fiona: Canada hit by 'historic, extreme event'
Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without power, after Storm Fiona hit Canada's coastline. Parts of three provinces experienced torrential rain and winds of up to 160km/h (99mph), with trees and powerlines felled and houses washed into the sea.
Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
BBC News

Winds knock out internet for days
High winds at the Muklung tower blew the antenna pointing at Levelock out of alignment. It was too windy for the technicians to fly back to finish repairs at the Muklung site on Thursday. On Friday, the cooperative said they were able to reach the site, but the winds were still too strong for them to climb the tower to fix the antenna.
Levelock, Alaska, United States
Bristol Bay Times

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