Juneau sets another snowfall record with 7.8" at airport Saturday; heavy accumulation continuing Sunday

Areas north of Auke Bay seeing heaviest accumulation; all CBJ facilities, Eaglecrest closed Sunday; snow/rain forecast through at least Wednesday

A person tries to get through deep snow outside the Dimond Park Field House on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. All city facilities are closed Sunday due to a heavy snowstorm. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Record snowfall on Saturday and heavy accumulation continuing on Sunday have Juneau approaching the all-time record for December, with plenty more snow possible through New Year’s Eve, according to the National Weather Service Juneau.

All city facilities such as libraries and recreation centers are closed Sunday due the storm, which includes Eaglecrest Ski Area since snowplows are being diverted to high-priority roads rather than the one leading to the resort, according to notices published Sunday morning. Daytime events for the George Houston Capital City Classic at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé are cancelled Sunday, but a 5 p.m. banquet is expected to proceed. Some businesses also announced closures.

A total of 7.8 inches fell at Juneau International Airport on Saturday, breaking the old record of 6.5 inches in 1957. It’s the third day of record accumulation so far this month, following 9.6 inches on Dec. 6 and 9.2 inches on Dec. 15.

"This snowfall has brought the monthly total for December to 40.8 inches which has moved it into 7th overall snowiest," an update on NWS Juneau’s Facebook page at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday notes. "The snowiest December was 1964 with a total of 54.7 inches."

Total accumulation from the storm at the airport is already well beyond the record total reported for Saturday, Nicole Ferrin, a NWS Juneau warning coordination meteorologist, said at about 9 a.m. Sunday.

"That new record at the airport is as of midnight and snowfall rates really picked up after midnight," she said. "And so that number, while it was a record daily snowfall for yesterday, it's going to be old news."

Accumulation is varying widely throughout the Juneau area, with the heaviest accumulations out the road beyond Auke Bay, according to updates posted by the weather service. Ferrin said an unconfirmed report of 24 inches total accumulation in the Lena Point area as received at about 10 p.m. last night and a report of 15 inches in the Mendenhall Valley as of about 3:30 a.m.

Hoonah's public works department reports that community has received 36 inches so snow so far, according to an update posted at NWS Juneau’s website at 10:30 a.m.

Snowfall amounts in Southeast Alaska from a weekend snowstorm as reported by the National Weather Service shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (National Weather Service Juneau)

Accumulation Sunday and during the next few days may also vary widely based on whether areas get snow or rain, Ferrin said.

"We're starting to see a changeover," she said. "We've gotten a report of some mixing downtown, but here in the Valley it's very heavy snow right now. So that's going to definitely cause wide variations in snowfall accumulations."

The extended forecast calls for snow and rain through Wednesday, with a chance of both on Thursday, and then snow likely returning on Friday and Saturday.

"The part of the forecast we're digging in really closely today is the Monday forecast, because there could be another surge then," Ferrin said. "But then we kind of go into — we call it shower mode, so on and off. There's a lot of uncertainty amongst computer models with just how much snow we could get each day."

Advisories for people to avoid travel unless urgent have been issued by NWS Juneau, the City and Borough of Juneau, and Juneau Police Department.

"Heavy snowfalls last night is going to make the roadways difficult to drive on," a JPD advisory posted at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday notes. "Road crews have been out clearing the streets, but much is still to be done. Side roads are especially difficult to drive on in some areas. You may want to give it some time before driving, to allow for roadways to be cleared up."

Capital Transit is operating winter routes Sunday, including the following adjustments:

• No service on Glacier Highway between the Federal Building and Bartlett Hospital until conditions improve.

• No service up Cordova Street to Cedar Park on Douglas Island. Wait for the bus at the Breeze In stop.

• No service on Franklin or 4th street in Downtown Juneau. Wait for the bus at the Downtown Transit Center stop.

• Transit riders can expect delays on all routes.

Eaglecrest, which held a celebratory opening of its main mountain for its 50th season on Saturday, is closed Sunday due to the inability to clear the five-mile road leading to the ski area.

"Due to the amount of snow that has fallen CBJ needs to keep essential roads clear and accessible for emergency services," the ski area announced on its Facebook page shortly after 8:30 a.m. Sunday. "Fish Creek Road is currently a lower-priority road for snow removal. With Fish Creek Road closed and access to the mountain unavailable, our ski area will be closed today."

A shooting contest and most other events for the Capital City Classic, including bus tours for visiting students, are also cancelled, according to Arnold Ibias, director of the high school basketball tournament.

"The only thing that we're going to keep is the banquet at 5:00," he wrote in a text message. "Will assume tomorrow is a go, but will figure that out in the morning."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.