Ice

A man who stood on a frozen East Anchorage lake after police attempted to serve a warrant on him Thursday afternoon has surrendered to officers, following the dispatch of water-rescue units to the area. APD spokesperson Dani Myren says the incident that led to the chase involving 19-year-old Siaosi Sila began at about 2:30 p.m., when police received an open-line 911 call from a home on the 1700 block of Kodiak Street. "At some point, someone identified this address as associated with this gentleman," Myren said.

The Anchorage Fire Department said that right now is the most dangerous time for people to be out on freezing waterways. It's because lakes and streams are just beginning to freeze and ice is still thin in many places. The AFD water rescue team has been checking on nearby lakes to see how ice formation is coming along. "This is the beginning of freeze-up so you get a lot of ice that's some thick, some thin and you can even have open water right now," said Fire Station 4 Captain Blake Lindson, "A lot of times you get out there and think it's safe in one spot but it's totally not safe in the other and that's where people start falling through.

by The Associated Press Saturday, April 24, 2010 FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The Nenana Ice Classic clock is set to begin its countdown to determine who wins Alaska's richest guessing game. Now in its 94th year, the Alaska tradition signals the arrival of spring in the Interior and gives winter-weary residents a chance to win some cash. Each year, thousands of Alaskans buy tickets to guess the date and time to the minute the ice on the Tanana River at Nenana will break up. Ice Classic manager Cherrie Forness said officials will hook up the clock Sunday to a 30-foot-tall wooden tripod on the ice. When the tripod moves enough to tighten the cable, the clock stops to set the winning time.

by The Associated Press Wednesday, June 23, 2010 FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- A rent dispute is keeping things chilly between Ice Alaska and its landlord. The nonprofit organization that stages an annual ice sculpture and artwork event leases land along the Chena River from the state-owned Alaska Railroad Corp. The railroad has a mandate to raise the rent, but Ice Alaska says it cannot afford the increase and there is no suitable place to move. The chairman of Ice Alaska has threatened to end the ice sculpting championships after more than 20 years.

The village of Buckland was surrounded Friday by significant ice jams, and the community of about 500 people in the Northwest Arctic Borough had already started to see some flooding in town. The Buckland River rose early in the morning a few days before, and now many of the elevated homes -- set high on pilings to prevent permafrost melting -- are surrounded with water. So far, the only damage is to a power line carrying electricity to the airport, which is still in the dark.

If the weather keeps up the way it's been, 2011 very well could prove to be another record low year for sea ice in the Arctic. The big annual thaw is well underway in high-pressure conditions that are very similar to 2007; when climate researchers recorded the lowest ever level of summer sea ice. “That is a pattern that we know tends to melt a lot of ice. It’s very warm,” said Mark Serreze, Director of the National Snow and Ice Data...

by Channel 2 News staff Friday, January 8, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Some Alaska artists are squaring off in a rather cold competition this weekend, but in the end they will all create something cool. The Crystal Gallery of Ice sculpting competition features 10 teams from all over the state. Teams carve two 3,000-pound blocks of ice. They work with everything from chainsaws to hand-crafted carving knives. "Well, I'm an art teacher and I'm a sculptor by heart," said ice carver Carol Lewando.

A flood warning remains in effect for the Kobuk River, and residents are monitoring an ice jam that could lead to a major flood. The National Weather Service reports that an ice jam forced water levels in the Kobuk to rise, at one point, 5 feet above normal. Roads and buildings in low lying areas have been affected by the flood waters, and ice chunks are creating a hazard as it moves through the village. The State Emergency Coordination Center says one resident living in the low lying areas was evacuated to the village clinic.

Ice dams on roofs are causing major problems for some homeowners, thanks to Southcentral Alaska's heavy snowfall this winter. Ice that builds up on a roof can prevent snow from melting off, at which point water seeps inside a home. Companies like Rain Proof Roofing have stayed busy this winter, shoveling snow from roofs and chipping away at the ice. Interior water damage can be costly to repair, usually thousands of dollars. Roofers say the snow and ice has kept them busier than usual.

Homeowners in Chugiak are facing an unusual battle against Mother Nature for this time of year, flooding. Despite dropping temperatures water is coming from somewhere and creating frozen ponds that are getting bigger every day. It's a big issue for artists Karla Morreira and her husband Roy. The two are used to shaping things like glass and metal but ice is their newest challenge. “We had a pea gravel trail right here which is about 2 and half feet under right now,” said Karla.