Unseasonably warm weather triggered ice breakups and subsequent flooding in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, prompting emergency evacuations and road closures as rising water levels affected multiple rivers.

Alaska state officials have advanced the start of the official fire season to March 17 in Southcentral, Southeast, and Western Alaska due to unusually low snowpack and warmer temperatures. The change aims to mitigate increased wildfire risks in these populated regions.

SMHI has upgraded the warning for storms in the northernmost mountains to an orange warning for strong winds and snow on the bare mountains, from Tuesday morning. Several places are also warned of dangerous conditions and a high risk of avalanches has been issued in the Abisko-Kebnekaise area.

The classic long-distance ski race 7-mila has been cancelled due to a lack of snow for the first time since 2014, affecting over 130 registered participants and causing financial concerns for the organizers.

Two people were swept under the ice on the Big Susitna River on Thursday morning while three others were able to reach safety, Alaska State Troopers said.

During Iditarod 53, mushers and their sled dogs battled high winds that whipped up a sandstorm near the Tanana River, forcing teams to pause and regroup. The unexpected conditions challenged visibility and navigation, underscoring the unpredictable nature of the race.

The Iditarod Trail Committee announced that poor snow conditions made the traditional southern route untenable, forcing organizers to move the start nearly 300 miles north, from Willow to Fairbanks. The novel 1,128-mile route passes through Interior Alaska with a loop on the Yukon River. “We are all rookies,” Big Lake musher Nicolas Petit joked.

The National Weather Service says the city has had no snow at this point in the season only twice before. On average, that doesn’t usually happen until halfway through April. Last year, which turned out to be the second snowiest on record, more than 2 feet blanketed the ground on March 3.

Flooding caused by rapid snowmelt and rain in the Inland Northwest led to multiple road closures and forced highway maintenance crews to pump water off major roadways.

The 90th annual Fur Rendezvous Festival kicked off Thursday around Anchorage and is expected to feature its traditional late-winter celebration, despite a winter season marred by low snowfall.

Anchorage starts the Fur Rendezvous Festival with only a trace of snow on the ground under unexpectedly mild winter conditions, although dump trucks delivered snow to the racecourse for event activities.

Anchorage has experienced its lowest snowfall from December to mid-February since records began in 1953, with only 4.3 inches, leading to significant changes in winter events like the Iditarod and Fur Rondy due to unseasonably warm, windy weather.

On February 10-11, 2025, unusually mild weather in Nome led to shorefast ice breaking free from the coastline, leaving deep blue water visible where ice had long persisted.

In February 2025, unexpectedly weak sea ice broke off near Nome, Alaska, marking the first recorded early detachment of shorefast ice. Local subsistence hunters and climate specialists warn the event could disrupt the regional ecosystem and traditional hunting practices.

Due to a diminished snowpack on the central Kenai Peninsula, the Ski for Women event at Tsalteshi Trails near Soldotna, Alaska has been canceled, though organizers remain hopeful about the upcoming Tour of Tsalteshi.

A professional snowboarder criticized the prolonged five‐hour rescue effort after an avalanche swept a backcountry skier down a mountain, cautioning that every minute matters in life‐or‐death situations.

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.

A driver lost direction in foggy conditions and accidentally drove onto thin sea ice near Vaasa, Finland, but escaped unharmed. Sea ice conditions have been particularly difficult this winter, due to alternating periods of severe cold and milder temperatures which have made the ice weak and unpredictable.

A person is missing after a vehicle fell through the ice on Lake Laberge in Yukon. Two others managed to escape.

Warm temperatures and rain have created hazardous road conditions in Fairbanks, leading to collisions and travel disruptions.