Glacial outburst floods aren't a new phenomenon in Alaska, but climate change is scrambling the geography of risk.

Suicide Basin above Mendenhall Lake has begun the expected glacial release and water is moving quickly into Mendenhall Lake and River.

The glacial flooding that sent residents of Alaska's capital city scrambling this week has become an annual ordeal for those who live along the picturesque river that winds from the nearby Mendenhall Glacier.

The all clear has been given and residents have been allowed to return to their homes in Alaska’s capital of Juneau after a glacial lake outburst sent debris-filled water rushing down the Mendenhall River on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

A glacial lake outburst flood in the Sikkim Himalayas in October 2023 damaged more than 30 bridges and destroyed a 200-foot-high (60 meters) hydropower plant. Residents had little warning. By the time the disaster was over, more than 50 people had died. Avalanches, rockfalls and slope failures can also trigger glacial lake outburst floods.

For the third consecutive year, a wave of water gushed out of an Alaskan glacial lake, threatening the state’s capital city of Juneau. But, flood barriers installed by the city managed to prevent disaster from unfolding in the picturesque port town despite record-breaking water levels this week.

At least three people have died after heavy rain and flash flooding lashed Chattanooga, Tennessee, overnight Tuesday and shut down interstates, stranded cars and prompted swift water rescues