Record amount of snow in Alaska led to flooding of boats and collapse of roofs

In the capital of Alaska, Juneau, a record amount of 82 inches (about 2 m) of snow fell in a few weeks, which caused boats to flood and the roofs of buildings to collapse. This was reported on January 7 by The Washington Post.

"All four of my ports were damaged, eight boats sank, and three dozen more were barely saved," said Matthew Creswell, head of the Juneau Harbor.

According to him, the snow load on the vessels reached 45 pounds per square foot (220 kg per square meter), which led to the sinking of both fishing and pleasure boats worth from $5,000 to $200,000.

Most of the snow fell in the last five days of December. Heavy wet snow collapsed the roof of a martial arts gym and a canopy at a gas station, and the day before the roof of a commercial building in the city center collapsed.

The article indicates that local authorities have called on residents to clean roofs and fire hydrants, and additional crews have been involved in snow removal. It is expected that by January 11, the snow will turn into rain, which will increase the load on roofs and storm drains clogged with ice.

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On the same day, it was reported that a large-scale transport collapse had occurred in Europe due to adverse weather conditions. The air hubs in Northern Europe were the hardest hit. About 2,000 flights were canceled at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in a few days, and rail service to the airport was temporarily suspended.

At least five people have died in France as a result of the weather conditions, and about a third of the country's territory has been placed on high weather alert. New snowfalls are expected in the Netherlands and Belgium.

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