An Alaskan glacier is bursting. Can new barriers block the flood?
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Record glacial flooding threatens Juneau, residents urged to evacuate
One of Alaska's most populated cities is bracing for potentially catastrophic flooding as a basin dammed within the Mendenhall Glacier has started to release rainwater and snowmelt downstream, according to officials. Suicide Basin, a side basin within the Mendenhall Glacier that sits above the city of Juneau, regularly releases glacier lake outburst floods, according to the National Weather Service. But recent measurements of water within the basement suggest the basin could release enough water to overwhelm the Mendenhall River and Mendenhall Lake, according to officials. MORE: Scientists concerned 'rare' glacial flooding event in Alaska could happen again By 7 a.m. local time, the Mendenhall River had reached a major flood stage at 16.51 feet and was continuing to rise -- surpassing the record flood stage set in 2024 of 15.99 feet, according to the NWS. Flood warnings have been issued for the lake and river due to the release. Residents along the flood zones have been urged to evacuate the area, with the peak flooding expected Wednesday around 8 a.m. local time. "Don't Wait. Evacuate TONIGHT," the City of Juneau wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday night. City officials were warning residents early Wednesday to avoid driving on roads within the flood zone already inundated by water. MORE: Massive, 18-mile-long Patagonia glacier experiencing rapid ice loss for 1st time Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski posted to X on Wednesday, warning of how dire the situation could become. "This is likely to become a life-threatening situation," Murkowski said. "If you are told to evacuate, stop what you are doing and immediately go to an emergency shelter or another safe location." Floodwaters are expected to fall below the flood stage through Thursday, according to the NWS. Mendenhall is a popular tourist attraction in Alaska, but the retreating glacier -- which acts as a dam for Suicide Basin -- has caused flooding in the region every summer in recent years after it refills with water from rain and melting snow in the spring. MORE: Why glaciologists believe the Birch Glacier collapsed, burying a nearby Swiss town In 2023, a glacier lake outburst at Mendenhall's Suicide Basin destroyed several structures along the Mendenhall River as the water rushed downstream. The record flooding prompted city officials in Juneau to issue an emergency declaration. The outburst, which caused a decade's worth of erosion in one weekend, would not have happened without climate change, NOAA said in 2023. Alaska has warmed twice as fast as any U.S. state over the last several decades, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. Suicide Basin has been releasing glacier lake outburst floods since 2011, so the National Weather Service in Juneau's monitoring program has a camera pointed directly at the basin to see how much water levels are rising and falling. Record-breaking flooding from Suicide Basin also occurred in 2024, which damaged nearly 300 homes, The Associated Press reported. Glaciers in Alaska have been experiencing a steep decline since the late 1980s, according to the state's Department of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. MORE: Severe flooding from Alaska glacial break would not have happened without climate change, scientists say Globally, glaciers are at risk of significant ice loss due to climate change, scientists say. Glaciers around the world lost an estimated 7,211 billion tons of ice between 2000 and 2023, equating to an average annual loss of 301 billion tons, according to a Nature study published in February. The rate of ice loss has increased by about 36% in the past two decades, the researchers found. Even if warming were to stabilize at current levels, the world's glaciers would still likely lose at least 39% of mass, according to the World Economic Forum.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
3 dead, 1 missing as flooding in southern Tennessee prompts Chattanooga to declare state of emergency
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Three people have been killed, and one person remains missing after severe weather and flooding slammed the Chattanooga area in Tennessee on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. According to the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, saturated ground from storms caused a large tree to fall on a car in the 1100 block of South Moore Road in East Ridge early Wednesday morning, killing two adults and a child. Chattanooga officials said search efforts are continuing for a man last seen in floodwaters on East Brainerd Road on Tuesday night. How To Watch Fox Weather Weston Wamp, the mayor of Hamilton County, Tennessee, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday evening as emergency workers conducted water rescues and floodwaters inundated dozens of roads. Wamp said Wednesday that he met with Office of Emergency Management officials and East Ridge first responders to survey flood damage and to discuss the next steps in response and recovery. More than 6 inches of rain fell in Chattanooga on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service, the city's second-wettest day on record, as thunderstorms dropped heavy rain ahead of a cold-front that moved through the region. Download The Fox Weather App The Chattanooga Fire Department reported conducting numerous rescues, including pulling stranded drivers from vehicles and assisting residents trapped inside homes as water levels rose rapidly. One of the hardest-hit areas appeared to be along Interstate 24 southeast of Chattanooga, where floodwaters several feet deep forced crews to close the highway in both directions. Emergency managers said at least one storm shelter was opened at a local recreation center to assist residents displaced by the flooding. "Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads," the NWS said in its Flash Flood Warning bulletin. "Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Move to higher ground now. Act quickly to protect your life." First responders urged drivers to avoid flooded roadways, especially during nightfall when water depths are harder to gauge. Just 6 inches of moving water can knock an adult off their feet, while a foot of floodwater can cause most vehicles to stall and even be carried away. The FOX Forecast Center attributed the deluge to abundant moisture streaming northward from the Gulf, combined with the hilly terrain of the southern Appalachian region, which can enhance convection. Know Your Flood Terminology: What Flood Watches, Warnings And Emergencies Really Mean The storms responsible for Tuesday's flooding were part of a broader unsettled pattern across the Southeast that is expected to persist for a few more days. More periods of heavy thunderstorms are expected Wednesday, according to the NWS office in Morristown. A flood watch remains in effect through Wednesday for parts of southwest North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Once the precipitation departs, forecasters expect temperatures to climb, with highs reaching the 90s and heat indexes approaching 100 article source: 3 dead, 1 missing as flooding in southern Tennessee prompts Chattanooga to declare state of emergency
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
It's Going To Be a 'Flirty, Flurry Fall' According to the Farmers' Almanac
Somehow, it's already August, which means the Fall Equinox is just over a month away, and winter is that much closer. It also means that everyone's favorite weather forecasting service has released its fall outlook for 2025. That's right, the Farmers' Almanac (not to be confused with the Old Farmers' Almanac) Extended Fall Forecast 2025 is live, and the headline says it's gonna be a flirty fall.I'm not sure when Farmers' Almanac started forecasting like a 2008 issue of Cosmopolitan, but I'm here for it, especially considering they're forecasting a possible early start to winter. According to the Farmers' Almanac, fall will kick off mid-to-late September with a mix of lovely early fall weather and storm systems that will bring thunderstorms mostly to the northeast and southeast. By the end of the month, cooler air will make its way across the Rockies and Great Lakes. Autumn should be in full swing by October for most places, with some areas seeing rain, gusty winds, and even early snowfall in higher elevations. By November, snow will become more frequent across more of the country, but there's a possibility of clear skies for Thanksgiving. While long-range forecasts can't always be 100% accurate, it seems like Farmers' Almanac has accounted for the mixed bag that fall weather can often bring and is ready to take any flirty, flurry, weather as it comes. Keep reading for more of the Farmers' Almanac's fall 2025 predictions. Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates. Pacific Northwest and West Coast The Farmers' Almanac is forecasting a fair start with a windy, rainy finish for the Pacific Northwest and a fair start with a blustery, showery finish for California and the rest of the West should start with clearer skies before giving way to some chillier weather and scattered showers in October. Generally speaking, it'll be a drier fall for the West Coast, before things get a little flirtier and unsettled conditions and snow set in before winter. Rockies Fall is slated to have a warm start and a cold, rainy finish for places like Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, the Dakotas, and the rest of the Northern Rockies. Places further towards the east, like the Ohio Valley and Plains, could see thunderstorms and possible tornadoes as fall begins. Flakes could start falling as early as October for these areas and should become more frequent by November, with the coldest conditions settling in by late October. Northeast It's gonna be a dry, cool start to fall in the northeast before a cold, stormy finish to fall. Cold weather should be fairly frequent as October rolls around, and higher elevations might start to flirt with the occasional flakes. The Farmers' Almanac recommends that even if you've got a particularly flirty Halloween costume, those in the northeast might want to bundle up as cold weather and showers are could bring wet snow to the northeast, and cold conditions will persist in the area from late October onwards. The northeast is expected to be one of the wetter parts of the country this fall, so soak up the warm weather while you can! Great Lakes Fall in the Great Lakes states is gearing up to be the perfect cuffing season with a fair, chilly beginning and a wet, white ending. Cool air should begin to move towards the Great Lakes by the end of September, before early-season snow appears in October. Showers will become more frequent in November, and the Great Lakes will be one of the country's wettest regions by the end of November. Southeast and the South Southeast and southern states are expecting a warm, dry start to fall before flip-flopping for a wet, stormy finish. The southeast might see more rain and thunderstorms in September, but October should be dry and pleasant through Halloween. In November, precipitation will return with a mix of rainy days and clear skies for an overall pleasant fall. How Does the Farmers' Almanac Make Forecasts? The Farmers' Almanac has been around since 1818. According to its website, the booklet uses several tools to make its predictions, including sunspot cycles, solar activity, tidal forces, and even the reversal of winds in the stratosphere over the also compare past weather patterns to current conditions as a way to forecast future weather in a system known as analog forecasting. The moon is an essential part of the Almanac's toolbox—read as a "meteorological swizzle stick," the moon occasionally stirs up atmospheric disturbances in a cyclical, predictable, and informative Almanac's forecasts are made with a top-secret calculation two years in advance. The Farmers' Almanac should be releasing its winter 2025/26 predictions soon, so stay Going To Be a 'Flirty, Flurry Fall' According to the Farmers' Almanac first appeared on Powder on Aug 5, 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
