Luleå kommun has closed its ice rink for the season after observing a rapid melt that reduced the ice thickness by 15 centimeters over two days, raising serious safety concerns.

UAF Geophysical Institute space physicist Peter Delamere recently rode his fat-tire bike over frozen vegetation south of the Alaska Range until his tires finally bit snow a bit farther north.

A pilot rescued with two young family members after they survived a night on the wing of an airplane partially submerged in a Kenai Peninsula lake is a student pilot who was not authorized to fly with passengers, according to a U.S. official and federal aviation records.

A powerful snowstorm battered Russia’s Far East Kamchatka Peninsula, grounding flights, stranding motorists, and triggering avalanche warnings in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

A 16-year-old snowmachiner was fatally buried in an avalanche in Turnagain Pass when a juvenile triggered the slide, prompting emergency rescue efforts.

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.

There is unusually low snow coverage and exposed ice on the North Slope. The tundra lakes are more visible and sea ice is lower than normal.

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.