Emily Schwing

Fairbanks, AK - A massive sheet of winter ice is holding back hundreds of thousands of gallons of silty Yukon River ice roughly 12 miles upriver from Fort Yukon.  Ed Plumb is a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Fairbanks.  “The sheet of ice is acting like dam," says Plumb, "and it’s causing the Yukon River to flood over its banks and flood a large portion of the area upriver from the ice jam so reports are that the water has spread out over several miles on either side of the Yukon river out into the forest and into the flats.”

Fairbanks, AK -  Villages in the middle Yukon River region are bracing for high water and breakup-related flooding as the weather starts to warm in interior Alaska.

Eagle, AK - Ice on the Yukon River at Eagle began to move early Friday morning resulting in the second worst flood on record since a devastating flood wiped out the community’s waterfront and a nearby Alaska Native village in 2009. Damage this year was minimal in comparison and residents are relieved.

Eagle, AK - Ice on the Yukon River at Eagle began to move early Friday morning resulting in the second worst flood on record since a devastating flood wiped out the community’s waterfront and a nearby Alaska Native village in 2009. Damage this year was minimal in comparison and residents are relieved.

Fairbanks, AK - For nearly a decade, the Fairbanks North Star Borough and Chena Hot Springs Resort have been working on a land exchange sale.  The Resort would buy 1480 acres in exchange for a series of easements that allow access to neighboring Borough property, which includes access to land popular for recreation.  Last fall, the Assembly passed an ordinance to approve the sale.  The deal is at an impasse, because neither side can agree to the value of the property.

Fairbanks, AK - More than five inches of snow earlier this week sent a number of vehicles off the road during the morning commute in Fairbanks.  While area residents may not be smiling about the prolonged winter, a few local businesses are thanking the weather gods.

Fairbanks, AK - National Weather Service Hydrologist Ed Plumb says breakup-related flood potential is moderate throughout the state.   "Some places could be cut off by water," he says, "because the water is too high to cross.  You may need to get around with boats to get to some structures. It causes more of an inconvenience for people and also moderate could mean we could have some buildings with water into the buildings and not just under the buildings,” explains Plumb.

Fairbanks, AK - The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly spent 15 hours Saturday discussing the next fiscal year’s recommended budget.  It was the second and final session before a revised budget is presented to the public.