Huge fireball caused by bolt of lightning is caught on camera
The explosion, which occurred around 11 a.m. on Monday during a thunderstorm, resulted in flames, downed power lines, and widespread electricity outages.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and Dominion Energy promptly restored power and cleared the wires.
Police officers managed traffic at seven intersections for approximately three hours following the incident.
The event is part of a pattern of hazardous weather in the region, with high temperatures and humidity increasing the likelihood of severe thunderstorms and frequent lightning strikes.
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BBC News
10 minutes ago
- BBC News
Evacuations in Alaska after glacial melt raises fears of record flooding in Juneau
Some Alaskans are evacuating their homes as meltwater escapes a basin dammed by the Mendenhall Glacier - raising fears of record-breaking flooding in the US state's capital city. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Juneau has issued a flood warning as glacial outburst water flows into Mendenhall River, putting homes in the area at risk. For days, local officials have warned residents they may be forced to evacuate. On Tuesday, they confirmed water had begun escaping the ice dam and flooding was expected in the coming days. The glacier, a popular tourist attraction, is 12 miles (19km) from Juneau. Water levels reached 9.85ft (3m) on Tuesday, below major flooding levels which begin at 14ft, the NWS said. But by Wednesday morning they were above 16ft, which is considered a crest. "This will be a new record, based on all of the information that we have," Nicole Ferrin, a weather service meteorologist, said at a press conference on Tuesday. The Juneau city website explains that glacial lake outbursts happen when a lake of melting snow and ice and rain drains rapidly. It compares the process to pulling out a plug from a full bathtub. When meltwaters reach a certain level, they can overtop a glacier that previously held them Governor Mike Dunleavy issued a state disaster declaration on Sunday because of the "imminent threat of catastrophic flooding from a glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF)" in the Juneau has been an annual concern in the area since 2011, as homes have been damaged and swept away by deluges. Last year, hundreds of residences were damaged.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Residents evacuate amid urgent warnings glacial lake will flood city
Juneau, Alaska 's capital, is bracing for what authorities warn could be record-breaking floodwaters, as a glacial outburst from the Mendenhall Glacier threatens sections of the city. Residents in affected areas have begun evacuating, heeding urgent warnings. The deluge, caused by rainwater and snowmelt accumulating behind a basin dammed by the Mendenhall Glacier, began escaping the ice dam Tuesday morning. Flooding is anticipated to continue into Wednesday, impacting homes situated along the Mendenhall River and near Mendenhall Lake. The Mendenhall Glacier, a popular tourist attraction, lies about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Juneau, a city of 30,000 people. Its proximity means that many properties on the city's outskirts are directly in the path of the glacial outburst. The National Weather Service predicts the flooding will peak between 8am and noon Wednesday. Nicole Ferrin, a meteorologist with the service, said: "This will be a new record, based on all of the information that we have." Flooding from the basin has become an annual concern since 2011, and in recent years has swept away houses and swamped hundreds of homes. Government agencies installed temporary barriers this year in hopes of protecting several hundred homes in the inundation area from widespread damage. The flooding happens because a smaller glacier near Mendenhall Glacier retreated — a casualty of the warming climate — and left a basin that fills with rainwater and snowmelt each spring and summer. When the water creates enough pressure, it forces its way under or around the ice dam created by the Mendenhall Glacier, enters Mendenhall Lake and eventually flows down the Mendenhall River, as it did Tuesday. Before the basin began overtopping, the water level was rising rapidly — as much as 4 feet (1.22 meters) per day during especially sunny or rainy days, according to the National Weather Service. The city saw successive years of record flooding in 2023 and 2024 — with the river last August cresting at 15.99 feet (4.9 meters), about 1 foot (30 centimeters) over the prior record set a year earlier — and flooding extending farther into the Mendenhall Valley. This year's flooding was predicted to crest at between 16.3 and 16.8 feet (4.96 to 5.12 meters). In 2024, nearly 300 homes were damaged. A large outburst can release some 15 billion gallons of water, according to the University of Alaska Southeast and Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center. That is the equivalent of nearly 23,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. During the 2024 flood, the flow rate in the rushing Mendenhall River was about half that of Niagara Falls, the researchers say. City officials responded to concerns from property owners this year by working with state, federal and tribal entities to install a temporary levee along roughly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of riverbank in an attempt to guard against widespread flooding. The 10,000 'Hesco' barriers are essentially giant sandbags intended to protect more than 460 properties completely during an 18-foot (5.5-meter) flood event, said emergency manager Ryan O'Shaughnessy. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is at the start of what is expected to be a years-long process of studying conditions in the region and examining options for a more permanent solution, such as a levee. The timeline has angered some residents, who say it is unreasonable. Outburst floods are expected to continue as long as the Mendenhall Glacier acts as an ice dam to seal off the basin, which could span another 25 to 60 years, according to the university and science center researchers.
The Independent
12 hours ago
- The Independent
Residents in Alaska's capital urged to evacuate over flooding from melting glacier
Hundreds of residents in Alaska 's capital of Juneau have been urged to evacuate over an imminent glacial flood threat. On Tuesday, Juneau officials said on Facebook that there was a glacial outburst at Suicide Basin, a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier above Juneau, according to the National Weather Service. As the Mendenhall Glacier recedes in a warming climate, the basin has released glacier lake outburst floods that have caused an overflow of water along Mendenhall Lake and River every year since 2011. 'The basin is releasing and flooding is expected along Mendenhall Lake and River late Tuesday through Wednesday,' Juneau officials wrote in Tuesday's post. 'Residents are advised to evacuate the potential flood inundation area.' The Anchorage Daily News reported that more than 1,000 residents and businesses were placed under the evacuation alert. The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning until Thursday at 8 a.m. local time. The Mendenhall River is currently at 9.85 feet, and the major flood stage for the river is 14 feet. The service warned the river will crest at 16.6 feet at around 4 p.m. Wednesday. This forecasted flooding could break a record, which was set when the Mendenhall River crested at 15.99 feet in August 2024. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has issued a disaster declaration in response to the imminent glacial flood threat. 'By issuing this declaration before the flood occurs, we can position state resources and personnel in advance to support local and tribal governments in their efforts to protect lives, homes, and essential services,' Dunleavy said in a statement. 'Our goal is to act early to reduce impacts and preserve community safety.' The imminent record-breaking flood this summer follows two years of severe flooding, according to a press release from Alaska's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which announced Dunleavy's declaration. After last year's devastating flooding, which damaged homes and public infrastructure, two miles of flood control barriers along the Mendenhall River were installed. 'I really do feel like we are prepared this year,' Juneau Manager Katie Koester told The Washington Post. 'I'm really hoping that we'll have a success story by Thursday.'
