After severe flooding from Storm Merbok, the waters have recided leaving the town digging out a giant sand box.

The City of Unalakleet now has a working generator to power its local water plant, but the community plans to be on a boil water notice for an extended period of time.

GOLOVIN RESIDENTS ARE IN CLEANUP MODE as their community works to restore power, phone service and clear debris. After the flood waters receded from the weekend’s severe fall storm, some locals are left with feet of sand in their homes. “At my place we’ve got three feet of sand we’re still shoveling out with the crew here, trying to get the sand out of the living area so we can get the sheetrock to go ahead and dry off,” Alaska Senator Donny Olson of Golovin said.

Shaktoolik has lost its berm to the storm that’s hammered Western Alaska over the weekend, according to Mayor Lars Sookiayak. The berm was all that protected the small village from the sea. “It really saved us from the first hit that came in this morning,” one resident said. 

The cormorants moved in when the peregrins did not return this year. "We believe (they did not return) because of the bird flu."

Many boats had to be secured & moved this morning. Hoping winds & rain slow down, but in the forecast.

There were a plenty of what appeared to be juvenile dead stickle back fish on the top of the embankment of a few ponds.

Over the past five days there have been increasing reports of unusual behavior in a variety of bird species including brant goose, snow goose, white-fronted goose, and Canada goose.

There are at least 10 or more what appears to be otherwise healthy trees that have just fallen over.

"We used to have snowmobile races on the ocean ice in front of Elim during the first weekend in April but we cannot have any races this year."

Unalakleet’s supply of water was running on empty following a nasty freeze-up at the end of December. Freezing rain led to a frozen pool of standing water that shifted the community’s pump house before the New Year. This dropped the flow of water into the water tank and levels were down to two feet earlier the first week of January.

"We lost internet and a power outage effected several residential homes and businesses. Of course there was no way to travel. Thankfully no medical emergencies."

Unusual mid summer storm in Golovin and local observations about changes in the salmon harvest.

"While on a field trip for work, we stopped at the beach and you can notice hundreds of dead clams and star fish littering the beach."

Yesterday, damaging high wind in Unalakleet sent debris flying into high voltage power lines, knocking out electricity for half of the village. After roughly nine hours, electricity was restored to…

Warming temperatures may support growing grasshopper populations along the southern Seward Peninsula.

Early snowmelt and low precipitation have led to low river water levels on the southern Seward Peninsula. Low water levels may be a contributing factor in observations of poor fishing, and poor fish health, along the western coast of Alaska.

Unusually large cone crops may be the result of favorable variations in weather across several years.

Open water over the ocean creates conditions that lead to hoar frost and rime ice. These conditions impact travel and are expected to become more common as ice forms later in Norton Sound.

Local reports on the big storm system hitting northern and western Alaska.