It’s officially autumn, and with the season comes more stormy weather. The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning and flood watch for Juneau Monday.
Meteorologists say wind gusts could reach 60 miles per hour. Gales are forecast to peak between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and then subside around 4 p.m. The National Weather Service advises residents to secure vessels and loose objects that could be blown around or damaged by the wind.
Forecasters expect one to three inches of rainfall in Juneau Monday. That could cause minor flooding in low-lying areas near creeks and rivers following heavy rain over the weekend. The flood watch will last overnight, until 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Andrew Park, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Juneau, said people should pay attention to the weather and plan accordingly.
“The weather today will impact your life, especially if you’re trying to get on the water,” he said. “We’re starting to see 50 to 60 mile an hour gusts.”
Park also explained how the air flows into the steep terrain to create persistent rainfall.
“You have this moist southwest flow, and that just continues to feed against the mountains,” he said. “So the mountains act as a source of like a lifting mechanism, and just drives showers.”
On Saturday, the City & Borough of Juneau closed Auke Lake Trail. The city reported that heavy rainfall triggered landslides in the area. City staff urge residents to stay off the trail and out of the lake until it reopens.
Ryan O’Shaughnessy is the city’s emergency program manager. He encourages those living in landslide-prone areas to be mindful of the weather forecast.
“If anyone who lives on a steep slope does observe any downslope movement of soils or trees — definitely the best thing to do is to get out of the area — then, once you’re safe, to call 911.”
The National Weather Service will issue updates on its website. If there is a weather-related emergency, O’Shaughnessy said the city will send text notifications through its voluntary alert system.
