This is Alaska’s first fatal avalanche reported this season. It is also the country’s deadliest since February 2023.

A severe storm over the weekend battered businesses at Fiskislóð 31 in Reykjavík, with colossal waves breaching coastal defenses and flooding inland areas, leaving significant structural and economic damage.

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.

Two individuals were swept into the sea near Akranes harbor when a large swell unexpectedly engulfed the area, dragging along cars and a pedestrian. They were rescued by emergency services, with one later transferred to a hospital in Reykjavík.

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.

Seawater breached sea walls in Seltjarnarnes this morning causing major damage to homes and infrastructure, with emergency services working to pump out water and warnings of further flooding tonight.