Alaska
Alaska Volcano Observatory reports ‘explosive eruption’ at Mt. Shishaldin
Mount Shishaldin in the eastern Aleutians is erupting, marking the latest event in a summer of increased activity at the volcano. The Alaska Volcano Observatory said “an explosive eruption” began shortly after 5 p.m. Friday.
“Ash is currently being produced and is drifting to the east below the cloud deck,” the volcano watch group reported.
The stratovolcano is near the center of Unimak Island, about 20 miles from False Pass, a fishing community with around 350 residents.
The National Weather Service issued a statement Friday evening warning of possible “trace ashfall” in False Pass, King Cove and Cold Bay.
Intermittent eruptions at Shishaldin have been disrupting air travel since July, one of which spewed ash as high as 40,000 feet.
The current aviation color code has been raised to red.
Alaska
A hunter in Alaska is found dead after being mauled by a bear
A man from Sitka, Alaska, was found dead Wednesday after he was apparently attacked by a brown bear during a deer hunting trip, according to officials.
Tad Fujioka, a 50-year-old resident of Sitka, had been reported overdue from the deer hunting trip on Tuesday, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said in a statement. Fujioka’s remains were found at 11:30 a.m. local time Wednesday by search teams and an investigation shows “he was the likely victim of a fatal bear mauling,” the agency said.
Tim DeSpain, an information officer with the department, said Fujioka had killed a deer before being attacked by the brown bear.
“The area is remote and there are a lot of bears,” DeSpain told NPR.
Troopers and members of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game searched for bears “until daylight constraints affected the search, and did not locate the bears,” DeSpain said. “The bears consumed the deer and left the immediate area which is remote and difficult to access.”
Members of Fujioka’s family have been notified, the public safety department said.
Sitka is located in southeastern Alaska and is a community on Baranof Island. The community is nearly 100 miles south of Juneau, the state’s capital.
There are 30,000 brown bears estimated to be in Alaska, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. They normally live along Alaska’s southern coast and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds.
Alaska
Halloween brings stormy weather to Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A sunny break on Wednesday over Southcentral Alaska gave residents a chance to take a breather after nearly a foot of snow Monday to Tuesday.
But don’t get too relaxed, because Halloween in Southcentral is calling for snow and rain.
As for overnight, there is a chance of snow and temperatures in the 20s. That will mean slick roads, and with snow expected to fall Thursday morning, it could cover up those slippery areas of roads and highways. Take it slow in the snow!
The storm set to hit Southcentral is already pushing snow, freezing rain and gusty winds over Southwest Alaska. The storm is centered over the Bering Sea.
No advisories or warnings going into Wednesday night, but this next storm is likely to move in very challenging weather conditions all over again. Starting early Thursday, snow is likely to be falling over the Kenai Peninsula.
The snow will move north to Anchorage, with 2 to 3 inches possible, and then mix with rain by afternoon, and in another possibility, if temperatures remain too warm, rain could be substantial, about 7/10 of an inch.
Southeast Alaska will get a break Thursday and Friday too. Halloween should remain mostly dry, with just a few showers. Another storm front reaches the region by the weekend.
The hot spot for Alaska on Wednesday was Sitka at 55 degrees and the cold spot was Anaktuvuk Pass with a temperature of 15 degrees below zero.
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Alaska
Hunter found fatally mauled by bear in Alaska
An overdue hunter in Alaska was found dead Wednesday after an apparent attack by at least one brown bear, state police said.
Alaska State Troopers were called shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday after Tad Fujioka, 50, of Sitka, failed to return from a deer hunting trip, the law enforcement agency said.
A search was launched, and his remains were found at around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, state troopers said in a daily report of incidents.
“Investigation revealed he was the likely victim of a fatal bear mauling,” they said in the report.
Fujioka had killed a deer at the location before he was attacked by at least one bear, said Tim DeSpain, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
Investigators know a brown bear was involved because that’s the only type of bear in the area, DeSpain said.
“The area is remote and there are a lot of bears in that area,” he said.
State troopers and officials with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game searched for the bear or bears that might be responsible but did not find them, DeSpain said.
Sitka is a city and borough of about 8,400 people in the Alaska panhandle, southwest of Juneau.
Alaska has black bears, brown bears — which include grizzlies — and polar bears.
There are around 100,000 black bears and around 30,000 brown bears in Alaska, the state Department of Fish and Game says on its website. There are far fewer polar bears, which the state considers threatened, and they range far to the north of Sitka.
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