Update: Juneau expected to get 14" of snow starting Saturday, following cold snap with 4 low-temperature records in 5 days
- Mark Sabbatini
- 1d
- 3 min read
Additional precipitation forecast for Sunday and beyond, but may turn to rain due to warming temperatures, according to National Weather Service
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
This story has been updated with revised forecast information as of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Juneau is expected to get about 14 inches of snow during a 24-hour period beginning Saturday morning, prompting warnings for residents to prepare ahead of time even though the severity of the storm is still being assessed
A sub-zero cold snap that has set low-temperature records four of the past days is expected to end by Thursday with a high temperature of about 20°F, according to a National Weather Service Juneau forecast issued at about 5:40 a.m. Wednesday. However, there is also a chance of snow on Christmas Day that is expected to develop into a major storm by early Saturday.
"The way I’m explaining it is we have high confidence for at least a foot of snow," Andrew Park, a NWS Juneau meteorologist, said Wednesday afternoon. "Now we're trying to figure out how we can get more, just depending on where that moisture plume goes."
A preliminary forecast on Wednesday morning called for up to 20 inches of snow, with Park saying an inch of snow an hour during a day-long period was possible. But while a storm of that severity is not expected as of Wednesday afternoon, he said people should still plan ahead of time since conditions may become hazardous.
"The main message is still make your preparations Friday because over the weekend you might not be able to do the things that you need to do," he said.
The forecast beyond Saturday calls for additional precipitation, but how much and in what form is uncertain.
"Eventually, winds aloft will mix down warmer air to the surface and is expected to result in a changeover to rain from south to north and past the Icy Strait corridor by Sunday morning," the most recent update for the region at the NWS Juneau website notes. "Moderate to heavy rain could fall through Sunday before possibly changing back over to snow Monday. Locations further north have a higher likelihood of staying all snow through the duration of the event, including Skagway, Haines and Yakutat. Significant snowfall amounts are possible through the weekend, even before the expected changeover to rain."
"Additionally, moderate to heavy rainfall on top of the snow could result in excessive runoff that could lead to poor drainage on roadways. Now would be the time to act by clearing snow on the ground around drainage areas and making preparations for snowmelt and rain."
Cold temperature milestones
The intense snowstorm is set to follow an extended cold snap of historic note, according to NWS Juneau.
A record-low temperature of minus 10°F at Juneau International Airport on Tuesday was the fourth record set in the past five days, according to a post at the weather service’s Facebook page on Wednesday. The post there have been five days with below-zero temperatures at the airport this month.
"The last time the Juneau airport had 5 or more days of below zero temperatures in a winter season was in the winter of 2006-2007 (that winter had 6 days reach below zero)," the post states. "Also of note is that since the winter of 2009-2010 up to the current cold period there has only been a total of 3 days with below zero temperatures at the airport. So the airport has had more days below zero in the last two weeks then they have had in the last 16 winters combined."
The record for below-zero days during a winter at the airport is 29, set in 1968-1969, according to NWS Juneau.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
