Michael Hamilton, who worked at Valdez Heli-Ski Guides, died Monday in one of numerous avalanches that have been occurring in the Southcentral Alaska backcountry recently. Several recent large wet slab avalanches reported throughout the Chugach are believed to be connected to a buried crust that formed around late October, she said. A warm storm system last week also weakened the snowpack because it added weight and heat.
Lytton, British Columbia, broke successive Canadian heat records early this week, with temperatures peaking at 121 degrees on Tuesday. Then the fires swept in.
The 61-year-old man was flown to an Anchorage hospital for treatment of his injuries, troopers said.
The man was injured on his face and hands. Two members in the skiers party assisted with his injuries and communicate for help in 15 degree temperatures with sunset approaching. It was not immediately clear what triggered the mauling about 10 miles northwest of Haines.
Nearly 12 inches of rain fell on the town of Pelican in 48 hours, and all-time records were set in Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Petersburg and Ketchikan. The City of Haines is sending alerts about the immediate danger of landslides.
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.
"We had an unusually large number of calls about skunks that were acting strange or being found dead and it was all within the area where we had confirmed that the avian influenza virus was present in the snow geese," Dr. Margo Pybus, a provincial wildlife disease specialist with Fish and Wildlife Alberta Environment and Parks, said. "We believe that the skunks are feeding on the dead geese and they are getting enough virus that it’s actually affecting the skunks."
The rutted stretch between Portree and north-west Skye has numerous potholes due to cold and wet weather.
Gusts of up to 85mph were recorded in parts of Scotland as Storm Malik swept across the country.
The McCarthy Road was closed between Mile 0 and 1 in Chitina on Monday, June 3, 2024, after a portion of the road sank. The transportation department is still assessing the cause of the road settlement, Perreault said, but it is not river washout or a landslide.
North Slope facilities in Alaska closed due to severe blizzard conditions with winds up to 75 mph and low visibility.
About 145 customers in the area were without power on Friday due to damaged equipment, according to Matanuska Electric Association. It’ll likely be at least several days before the road may be cleared.
“This has been a very trying time,” mother Tanisha Charles said. “You don’t prepare for this. You think of fires, you think of earthquakes, but you never think of a mudslide in the middle of town.”
The incidents happened after another bout of heavy snow, and as municipal building officials mailed out warnings to owners that their buildings could be at risk.
The avalanche came after two days of heavy snow followed by two days of heavy rain. The community had to wait several days before linemen could get to Chignik to repair the damage to its power system.
Snowfall amounts in the Anchorage Bowl could range from 3 inches on the east side to nothing on the west side, the Weather Service said.
Officials are encouraging the public to be safe, report polar bears in the area and never approach the animals, which can be “dangerous and unpredictable.”
Mat-Su schools will be closed again Wednesday, and 5,000 homes remained without electricity Tuesday night after a violent windstorm hammered the Valley.
It’s not clear whether the unrest will lead to an eruption at Tanaga Volcano, which is located on an uninhabited island about 65 miles from Adak.
Chile’s president says intense forest fires burning around a densely populated area of central Chile have caused at least 46 deaths, and officials say at least 1,100 homes had been destroyed.
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