Storm causing more boats to sink in harbors; city facilities closed; snow expected to taper off by tonight
- Mark Sabbatini
- 18 hours ago
- 4 min read
Avalanche advisory remains in effect; runway closure results in flight cancellations; trash pickup again halted Wednesday; Juneau about 6.5" shy of record snowfall for any month
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
This is a developing story.
Update 12:15 p.m. Wednesday: Another warning about "extreme harbor conditions" was issued by officials at about 11 a.m. due to heavy snow causing more vessels to sink.
"Overnight, three additional large vessels completely sank, bringing the storm total to eight vessels lost so far," a post on Juneau Harbors’ Facebook page states. "Dozens more have been saved thanks to the tireless efforts of Docks & Harbors staff and quick action by fellow harbor users and boat owners."
"Our crews are running around the clock, using every dewatering pump available, and we are now rapidly running out of resources as conditions persist."
People, in addition to clearing snow from their own boats and shelters, are asked to report sinking or at-risk vessels to the harbormaster's office at (907) 586-5255 or the non-emergency number at the Juneau Police Department of (907) 586-0600.
A winter storm warning in effect since 3 a.m. Saturday officially ended at noon Wednesday. A forecast issued at about 10:30 a.m. by the National Weather Service Juneau at about 10:30 a.m. calls for another inch of snow at Juneau International Airport through tonight, with cloudy and partly cloudy skies on New Year’s Day.
Original story (6 p.m. Wednesday): A storm that has shattered records since early Saturday morning, including record snowfall three of the last four days, is forecast to end Wednesday with two to six more inches of accumulation, according to the National Weather Service Juneau.
However, numerous disruptions — including southbound flights to Seattle and garbage pickup services — are expected Wednesday. All city offices and facilities are closed, and state offices are scheduled to open at noon. An avalanche advisory for residents on Behrends Avenue downtown and Thane Road remains in effect.
A record 16.4 inches fell Tuesday at Juneau International Airport, bringing the monthly total to 79.8 inches — far beyond the previous December record of 54.7 inches set in 1964. The record for accumulation in a single month in Juneau is 86.3 inches in February of 1965, according to NWS Juneau.
"This month is now ranked number two in all time snowiest months for the Juneau Airport," according to a weather service update issued at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
"Snow and rain showers will continue across the panhandle today before diminishing into Thursday," the forecast notes. "Today's heaviest snow rates, for the northern panhandle, will be this morning diminishing after noon."
A winter storm warning remains in effect until noon Wednesday. Some parts of Juneau out the road beyond Auke Bay have reported receiving more than five feet of snow since Saturday morning.
Among the many impacts of the storm was the airport runway was closed for about eight hours beginning Tuesday evening to allow for equipment maintenance and removal of snow in other parts of the facility.
The airport runway reopened at about 3 a.m. Wednesday, Airport Manager Andres Márquez wrote in a Facebook post.
"JNU is ready for normal operations again, but I highly recommend checking with your airline for flight schedules and reservations," he wrote.
Some cancellations of Tuesday night flights carried over into Wednesday morning, including no southbound Alaska Airlines flights from Juneau scheduled until a 9:41 a.m. flight to Sitka, according to the website FlightAware. No departures to Seattle are listed until 6:46 p.m.
As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, Alaska Airlines flights inbound from Seattle, Anchorage and Sitka were on time, according to the website FlightAware. An outgoing Alaska Central Express flight to Sitka departed on time shortly before 5 a.m. and the next scheduled departure is an Alaska Airlines flight to Anchorage just before 8 a.m.
Multiple power outages were reported Tuesday night and Wednesday by Alaska Electric Light and Power, ranging from beyond Amalga Harbor Road north of town to an outage in downtown and Douglas caused by a house fire.
Closures and limited operations are again occurring for public services and businesses.
"City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) facilities are closed today due to the hazardous road conditions this morning from the heavy snowfall accumulation overnight," the city announced in a Facebook post at 7:20 a.m. "We ask, once again, that everyone limit driving today where possible for your safety and the safety of others. We truly appreciate everyone giving our plow teams time and space to do their work."
Capital Transit is operating on winter routes.
Thane Road remains closed at the avalanche gates, with a reassessment by state transportation officials scheduled at noon Wednesday, according to CBJ.
Alaska Waste announced early Wednesday morning it is not operating any routes due to road conditions.
"Residential customers with Wednesday service, collection will resume next Wednesday 1/7/2026, with allowance of extra bags at no additional charge," a post on the company’s Facebook page notes. Commercial customers also will be allowed extra dumpoffs during their next pickup.
Among the entities resuming normal operations is Bartlett Regional Hospital, which cancelled non-emergency services on Monday and Tuesday.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
