Rusting rivers and huge rainfall have complicated pollution control at Northwest Alaska’s massive zinc mine.

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.

A viral video shows Big Lake near Huslia rapidly eroding and draining into the Koyukuk River, alarming residents who say recent high water and thawing permafrost are accelerating change. Locals fear the erosion could threaten parts of town built near the lake.

The drained lake basin near Kotzebue, Alaska, has rapidly transformed since 2024, now densely covered with vegetation and expanding erosion, revealing more ice and supporting a thriving ecosystem, highlighting significant environmental changes since the sudden drainage event in 2022.

Angus Lake near Sachs Harbour rapidly drained over the course of early July 2025 after permafrost thaw created a water channel, emptying the lake into the Sachs River and leaving a large crater.