‘Snow-vid’ storms that isolated Juneauites this winter have plenty of historical company
- Laurie Craig
- 18 hours ago
- 6 min read
Massive snowstorms of past hit when city lacked modern detection and removal equipment, led to changes in safety preparations and technical analysis
By Laurie Craig
Juneau Independent
“Snow-vid” is a term being used these days to describe the sense of isolation and shutdown Juneau has endured for the past few weeks. First frigid temperatures, then deep and fast-accumulating snow, and finally messy melting mush dominated conversations and activities amidst the usual holiday merriment.
Stores and schools have been closed for roof snow removal, reminding people that essential locations and supplies may not be accessible. It’s been a reminder of 2020 when COVID-19 changed lifestyles.
“This snowfall is unprecedented in recorded history,” said National Weather Service Senior Hydrologist Aaron Jacobs on Saturday, Jan. 9, during a multi-agency briefing on Juneau’s weather situation.
Concern for residents living in avalanche zones became the highest priority, with the city issuing an evacuation alert for certain vulnerable neighborhoods downtown and closing Thane Road. Meanwhile, all across the borough six feet of snow needed to be shoveled from roofs, driveways blocked by snowplow-created berms cleared and flooded streets drained.
Neighbors helped neighbors, government employees and contractors worked long hours, and many residents pitched in to dig out.
1918 was a historic snow year
As monumental as 2025-2026 winter has been to residents, more than a century ago the winter of 1918 also overwhelmed Juneau. Historical photos show Front, Seward and Franklin streets mounded with snow. Without today’s heavy equipment and snowplows, Juneau’s streets were almost impassable.
Photographer Trevor Davis (1892-1990), who grew up in Juneau, recalled heavy snow in a vivid comment in his 1979 pictorial book “Looking Back on Juneau, The First Hundred Years:”
In one section titled “No Snow Removal,” Davis wrote: “Snow piled high, between seven and eight feet, on Seward and Front Streets. Much of it resulted from snow being shoveled off roofs of downtown buildings, it packed down solidly. Looking out a store window you could see legs and bellies of horses passing by.” He added, “Packed ice and snow remained until late May or early June."
To provide a comparison with today’s weather numbers, NOAA Weather Service’s Alaska Region Senior Climate Scientist Brian Brettschneider compiled some statistics this week about the winter of 1918.
“The average temp for Downtown Juneau was an amazing 14.5F for the entire month of December. 81.1” (inches) of snow fell in the month. It all changed on Dec 31/Jan 1. For the Jan 1-Jan 23 period, 7.15” of precip fell (mostly as rain). The average temp was 32.3F. The Dec-Feb period had 176.8” snow and 20.79” precip.”
Avalanche risks and historic events
A major cause of concern in 2026 is the potential for avalanches. In 1962, Mount Juneau’s wide avalanche path rumbled with snow that cascaded down the slope, stopping just short of homes in the Behrends Avenue area. Witness accounts at the time described damage being caused by the strong wind generated by the avalanche as the snow crashed down the mountain. It blasted out windows, dumped snow inside some homes and knocked one of the houses off its foundation. Two roofs were blown off houses. Twelve homes received damage. One person suffered minor injuries. The snow packed hard where it landed.
Ten years later, local photographer Skip Gray captured an iconic image from the rock dump of an avalanche that whitened downtown in 1972. National Geographic bought usage of the photo and gave it a two-page spread in a story titled, “Avalanche! Battling the Juggernaut” in the September 1982 edition of the magazine. An internet search today derails this topic to two Marvel comics animated characters named Avalanche and Juggernaut.
Another Mount Juneau avalanche is captured in a 1985 photo.
Juneau’s reputation as an avalanche-prone city has prompted officials to seek professional answers to making key areas safer. Results are available in various documents available on the city’s website. Documents include statistics on weather and climate, terrain, elevations and inclinations and historic reviews of past avalanches. Using calculations the studies prepare simulations, but with the caveat that predicting avalanches is uncertain. The studies are richly illustrated with slide area maps and photographs.
A Swiss firm stated in its 2011 report “Avalanche Mitigation Study: Behrends Avenue and White Subdivision Avalanche Path, Juneau, Alaska” its objective was to make recommendations to decrease the avalanche risk. (Page 4)
In the chapter on different measures to reduce the hazard, on page 21 the authors note there are “28 residences in a severe hazard zone” and “12 houses in a special engineering zone” including “one hotel, the access road to Juneau and a big boat harbor.” At the time the city did not regularly issue evacuation notices, however officials have done so in recent years including 2026 when an evacuation site was set up in Centennial Hall.
“The avalanche risk in the Behrends Avenue subdivision is very serious and in our opinion — compared to other cases — unacceptable.” The city has proactively improved its warning system since this 2011 report was issued.
A 289-page study prepared by Tetra Tech Canada in 2022 updated details that identified both avalanche and landslide risks in the downtown area. The city Assembly on December 11, 2023, voted to adopt the Downtown Juneau Landslide and Avalanche Assessment avalanche maps, but declined to adopt the landslide maps in the study.
Officials use new technology to assess hazards as it becomes available. As of January 12, 2026, the city is using a special remote sensing device called an “Avymonster” placed on Douglas Island and aimed at Mount Juneau to detect possible snow movement.
Farther south from downtown, Thane Road’s avalanche zone is well known and its history of controlled releases is documented elsewhere. Conversely, the Mount Juneau slide area is not recommended for artificial releases as has been done on Thane due to the proximity of residences and other structures.
An illustrated map from a 2011 study prepared for CBJ, at left, identifies various avalanche paths on Mount Juneau. At right, an overview of Mount Juneau’s Behrends Avenue avalanche path. (City and Borough of Juneau images)
A positive impact on a negative situation
An avalanche that strongly affected all of Juneau occurred far from town in April of 2008. A 1.5-mile-wide swath of mountainside was swept clean of its vegetation when an avalanche destroyed transmission towers carrying Juneau’s electricity from its hydroelectric generating plant at Snettisham, located in an inlet about 40 miles south of Juneau. For 45 days the city ran on expensive backup diesel generators while repairs were made. Eventually huge ship-prow-shaped diversion structures were built above new transmission towers to protect them from future avalanches.
Immediately after the Snettisham avalanche, Alaska Electric Light and Power Company cautioned ratepayers to conserve electric usage that could increase power bills by 500% due to fuel costs.
In a response similar to today’s “snow-vid” actions and COVID cautions, residents quickly changed behaviors. They turned down thermostats, exchanged incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs (LEDs were not widely available yet), unplugged appliances, turned off lights, selected cold water settings for laundry and returned to old-fashioned methods of hanging clothes to dry. That was easier in springtime as longer days and warmer temperatures allowed outdoor drying. It was rumored the town’s stores ran out of clothespins in 2008 just as the stores ran out of snow shovels this month.
These speedy conservation efforts are documented in a 2010 study in conservation by Wayne Leighty and Alan Meier through the University of California Davis. Titled “Short Term Electricity Conservation in Juneau, Alaska; Technology and Behavioral Change in Persistance,” the analysis lists resident actions noted above to reduce the likely increased charges. A key sentence in the abstract sums up the results: “Response to this electricity ‘crisis’ included electricity conservation that began within two days of the event and reduced electricity usage by 25% or more over the period of supply disruption.” Leighty grew up in Juneau on Gastineau Avenue.
While the threat of avalanches still exists, officials are taking proactive steps to reduce harm.
The multi-agency unified command organization established in summer 2025 for the Mendenhall Glacier outburst flood emergency reconvened for the snow emergency in 2026. Additionally, the city utilizes an emergency alert cell phone notification system, communicates risks frequently and quickly to the public using social media and press briefings, closed schools for roof snow removal and rerouted buses to avoid hazard zones.
The local chapter of the American Red Cross hosted 45 evacuees at Centennial Hall when avalanches threatened neighborhoods. And an Avymonster now watches Mount Juneau so Avalanche and Juggernaut can remain cartoon characters rather than local snow conditions.
• Contact Laurie Craig at lauriec@juneauindependent.com
