A winter storm in Anchorage and Mat-Su, Alaska has caused closures of state offices, schools, and bus services, with reports of stranded vehicles and accidents, and up to a foot of snow expected in some areas.
Schools in Southcentral Alaska are closed due to a snowstorm and power outages, with the Seward Highway being deemed "impassable" and numerous vehicles stranded.
At 4:45 p.m., 65 inches was on the ground. By 7:30, 72 inches of new snow had fallen in one storm. That’s 6 feet. In less than one day! It was darn close to a new Alaska (and United States) record.
Remnants of Typhoon Bolaven brought the rain from the Pacific. The typhoon has been bringing rain to the Southeast region for days. Ketchikan's one-day record is nearly nine inches, set on Oct. 11, 1977.
In less than a day, the riverbank was eroded back more than 60 feet, threatening some cabins near the river.
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.
Officials evacuate nearby homes, caution residents in high-slope areas.
The rain in July has been persistent and in some cases intense. At Cheney Lake there is plenty of evidence about the wet summer.
Alaska is one of the only places in the world where peony flowers grow in the summer months. But the unusually cold, wet weather this year is delaying the blooms by weeks.
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