Avalanche risk increasing, schools and government offices closed again on Friday due to incoming atmospheric river

Thane Road set to close at noon Friday; no evacuation advisory issued as of Thursday, but downtown residents encouraged to prepare

Tahku the Whale Statue is dusted by snow with Douglas Island seen across the Gastineau Channel on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Independent)

By Jasz Garrett

Juneau Independent

The City and Borough of Juneau facilities and all Juneau School District schools will be closed on Friday due to incoming hazardous weather.

Additionally, the risk of avalanches is increasing due to snowfall, warming temperatures and rain over the next 24 hours. There is still no evacuation advisory at this time, but CBJ may issue one on Friday, according to its emergency management page.

Juneau Public Libraries, the Juneau-Douglas City Museum and all Juneau Parks and Recreation facilities will be closed. City Hall, the CBJ Permit Center and all CBJ offices will be closed to the public, but accessible by phone or email.

"CBJ staff will continue to provide services remotely where possible, and continue to be all-hands-on-deck for snow removal efforts," a social media post from the official city Facebook page states. "CBJ encourages all residents to stay off the roads to allow snow removal teams to do their work as safely and efficiently as possible."

The Juneau Recycling Center and Household Hazardous Waste will be closed through the weekend, while Capital Transit continues to operate on winter routes.

"For the safety of our students, staff and families, all classes, meetings, and activities are canceled," wrote JSD Chief of Staff Kristin Bartlett. "The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Hockey games at Treadwell are also canceled."

There will be no remote instruction on Friday at schools, including Sít' Eetí Shaanáx Glacier Valley Elementary School and Mendenhall River Community School, which were already closed due to unsafe snowloads on their roofs. MRCS was evacuated earlier Thursday due to growing concerns about the weight of snow on the school's gymnasium roof. All students and staff were safe, according to JSD.

"City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) engineers and maintenance staff will continue to monitor the roofs at CBJ facilities, including schools," Bartlett wrote.

According to an email, the University of Alaska Southeast Juneau campus will also be operating remotely Friday "due to continuing hazardous weather conditions."

There is still no evacuation advisory as of Thursday evening for residents living in all slide zones of downtown Juneau and Thane.

"However, CBJ is closely watching conditions and may issue an evacuation advisory in the near future," the current advisory states. "CBJ will send out an emergency alert if an evacuation advisory is called. CBJ is prepositioning resources to prepare for potential emergency sheltering (Centennial Hall) as well as additional response resources should they be required."

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities will close Thane Road at the avalanche gates on Friday at noon due to high avalanche hazard to the roadway. This emergency closure will be re-evaluated at 8 a.m. on Saturday; however, Thane residents should be prepared for extended road closures, according to the city's avalanche advisory and DOT's Avalanche Hazard Reduction and Closure notice.

"The avalanche hazard is expected to remain high over the next few days. If a natural avalanche reaches the roadway, it is unlikely DOT&PF will be able to safely remove the avalanche debris until the hazard can be minimized from mitigation work or once the hazard has decreased naturally," DOT's notice states.

The city will issue an emergency alert if major changes are observed and an evacuation advisory is issued. Sign up to receive alerts here.

"Residents should know their risk, remain alert, have a go-bag ready, prepare household evacuation plans and stay signed up for emergency alerts," the city's avalanche advisory recommends.

The Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles, and other facilities and businesses were closed Friday. According to a notice on the state website, certain state offices, including the Departments of Public Safety, Corrections, and Family and Community Services, remained open.

• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.