Alaskans are taking advantage of rare ice skating conditions on alpine lakes in Chugach State Park, with hundreds of people hiking into the backcountry to skate on smooth ice in the shadow of iconic peaks.
The rain in July has been persistent and in some cases intense. At Cheney Lake there is plenty of evidence about the wet summer.
Oil from a nearby fuel container leaked through the water system in the lake most likely due to heavy rains of the past month. Cleanup efforts were ongoing this week. It’s not clear when the park will reopen.
Over the last several weeks the algae bloom has ranged from significant covering the surface of the lake in many places to today seeing patches of the bloom here and there on the surface. It can also be observed below the surface near the shoreline.
" I was down by North Fork taking pictures by the stream and noticed the differing speeds in current throughout the small part of the stream in view. A part of the stream was almost completely stagnant and just a little way farther down stream it was flowing like crazy. "
Last week, Alaska became one of at least 32 states to report finding zebra mussels in a product called moss balls which were sold at local pet stores.
Mergansers (Mergus merganser) are not common visitors to Cheney Lake, but a flock of about a dozen showed up in early November.
River otters observed within Anchorage city limits.
"I am worried that unless we do something, the algae will kill the lake, or at least our enjoyment of it."
We have over two weeks of cold windy weather. It started in mid April around the time of the big wind storm. And in relation of the wind storm on April 24th, Rick Thoman wrote: "Winds this strong in the Anchorage are rare at this time of year. An unusually strong storm for the season in the southeastern Bering Sea produced southeast strong winds blowing across the Chugach Mountains. However, being April, the temperature profile of the atmosphere close to the ground was more conducive than in winter for allowing the very strong winds aloft to reach down to the ground.
A National Weather Service employee spotted an ice jam that's causing some minor flooding northwest of the Starner Street bridge, along Peters Creek.
Near record stretch of foggy days at Ted Stevens International Airport.
One important factor is the depth of the lake. But there are other variables too.
When temperatures are warm enough, it's a time many Alaskans take their families out swimming. Sometimes the fun comes along with an annoying rash known as 'Swimmer's Itch.'
The level of Eklutna Lake seems to be very low this winter. Over the long term, decline of the Eklutna Glacier is a concern for water and energy supply.
Low water, warm temperatures and our seasonal waterfowl population are factors we think are contributing to the unprecedented algae and weed growth in the lake at the the Alaska Native Health Campus.
6/17/15 Drought - Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Low lake water on ANTHC campus (Algae)
Dry conditions in Southcentral Alaska have resulted in low lake levels including here on the ANTHC campus
Chester Creek overflowed its banks Tuesday, sending cold water into the basements and crawl spaces of a handful of homes near Valley of the Moon Park.
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