Southeast Alaska

Alaska saw a sharp cooldown on Wednesday as the end of September brought the seasonal 'hammer down'. Temperatures stayed at or below freezing across the North Slope and northern Interior, while Southcentral turned much cooler. Southeast Alaska, by contrast, remained mild. Forecasters note the pattern is typical for this time of year, when colder air settles in across the state.

September precipitation across Alaska split sharply between north and south. Totals along roughly 65°N from west to east were at or near record highs for the month, while Southwest, Southcentral, and Southeast Alaska and the upper Tanana Valley remained unusually dry. Alaska climate observers flagged the stark divide as notable for a single month.

Researchers are working to identify the combination of factors, or 'recipe', behind recent landslides near Klukwan in southeast Alaska. The effort aims to understand what triggered the slope failures and to improve future risk assessment for the small Chilkat Valley community, which sits in steep, geologically active terrain prone to such events.