Clarise Larson

A winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow and freezing rain on the capital city this holiday weekend. As of Monday, residents were still trying to dig out. 

The National Weather Service in Juneau extended the winter storm warning in Juneau to 6 a.m. Tuesday and says an additional 5 to 10 inches of snowfall could arrive by then. 

“Snow totals have so far been around 15 to 40 inches across the northern panhandle,” a winter weather warning states. “Some freezing rain has also been reported around Juneau, Gustavus and Yakutat.”

The capital city is on track to surpass its December monthly snowfall record. 

Juneau, AK, is currently 2.5″ shy of their December monthly snowfall record. The current forecast shows 4″-8″ through the end of the month. So there’s a pretty decent chance that they will break the monthly record. @alaska.bsky.social @alaskawx.bsky.social

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— Climatologist49 (@climatologist49.bsky.social) December 29, 2025 at 8:46 AM

The city, state and dozens of businesses across Juneau announced facility and building closures on Monday due to hazardous road conditions. City Hall, public libraries and parks and recreation facilities are all closed. All State of Alaska executive branch offices are also closed. 

Bartlett Regional Hospital cancelled all non-emergency services on Monday and Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is operating with limited staffing at some locations.

Eaglecrest Ski Area is open, but the Coastal Alaska Avalanche Center reported that multiple natural and human-triggered avalanches occurred in the backcountry on Sunday.

Capital City Transit is running winter bus routes, but there is no service up Cordova Street to Cedar Park on Douglas Island, and on Franklin or 4th Street in downtown. 

Capital City Fire/Rescue and the Juneau Police Department advised residents to stay off the road. 

 

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“Vehicles of all kinds, including plows, are getting stuck. It will take some time for the roadways to clear up,” a JPD social media post stated. “My advice would be to stay home and hunker down for the day.”

Juneau’s Docks and Harbors department is asking boat owners to check their vessels. Multiple boats have sunk and boat shelters are beginning to fail under the heavy snow.

Parts of the area experienced power outages Monday around 1 p.m., according to Alaska Electric Light & Power. Residents in Douglas and downtown also reported lights flickering. AEL&P began restoring power shortly after 2 p.m.

The National Weather Service recorded just shy of 27 inches of snow that had fallen during this storm as of Monday afternoon at its office in the Mendenhall Valley. Forecasters say another storm may be headed this way by the end of the week. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

In this newscast:

• Heavy snow is forecast to hit Juneau and other parts of Alaska’s panhandle this weekend, following days of record-breaking frigid temperatures.
• When it snows, crews fan out with plows, graders, blowers and more to clear the streets in Juneau. Morning Edition host Mike Lane recently sat down with CBJ Streets & Fleet Superintendent Scott Gray to learn more about local snow removal operations.
• As 2025 comes to a close, the reporters at KTOO are taking a moment to reflect on the year in stories. In this special feature, we’re highlighting some of our colleagues’ favorite pieces throughout the year, and sharing what made these stories stand out.

Heavy snow is forecast to hit Juneau and other parts of Alaska’s panhandle this weekend, following days of record-breaking frigid temperatures. 

According to the National Weather Service, Juneau is forecast to see more than a foot of snowfall in 24 hours beginning late Friday evening through Saturday evening. That storm is an atmospheric river and will bring warmer temperatures, which could reach into the high 20s.

Andrew Park, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Juneau, said residents should pay attention to the weather and prepare for hazardous conditions.  

“Definitely be prepared. I don’t think you’re gonna be traveling on the roads if we get 20 inches of snow in 24 hours,” Park said. “Make sure you have food, fuel, take care of the things you need to do for stuff like that — like now.” 

The forecasted heavy snow comes after the capital city broke multiple record-low daily temperatures earlier this week. 

On Tuesday, Juneau saw a new daily record-low at the Juneau International Airport of -10 degrees Fahrenheit. It broke the previous record of -3 degrees set back in 1971 for that date and marked the fifth day in December that the airport recorded lows reaching below zero. 

City officials are advising residents to ensure heating sources in their homes are monitored and maintained. Earlier this week, Juneau saw two destructive residential fires in a mobile home park in the course of just three days. While the causes of both fires are still under investigation, officials warn that residential fires are more common with the onset of cold weather because of heating system failures. 

Juneau Harbormaster Matt Creswell said the forecasted snowfall and rise in temperature could cause problems for boats at Juneau’s harbors. 

“If you got a boat, it’s time to get down and check on it, take care of it, and get ready for what will be our third round of snow in this so far this month,” Creswell said. 

Juneau’s emergency warming shelter in Thane remains open to patrons each night and transportation is available to Juneau’s Glory Hall homeless shelter.

This week marks six months since 42-year-old Juneau resident Benjamin “Benny” Stepetin was last seen in downtown Juneau. 

His brother, Martin Stepetin Sr., said his family and friends haven’t stopped looking for him even during the holidays.

“We just don’t want his memory to fade, or anybody to think that we’re giving up searching for him at all — because we’re not,” he said. “We’re still doing everything we can to still try to find what happened to my brother.”

Police listed Benjamin as a missing person after he was last seen in Juneau on June 22 in the downtown area. Benjamin is Alaska Native, about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and has brown eyes. Before he went missing, he often frequented the downtown area and had been homeless for roughly two years.

Following his disappearance, his family raised over $25,000 to fund a robust search effort and paid for divers to search the Gastineau Channel in September. Martin believes his brother may have fallen or been pushed into the water. 

And, though Martin said the divers didn’t find any signs of Benjamin then, the family is working with the Juneau Police Department in hopes of getting divers into the water for another search soon. 

Juneau Police Deputy Chief Krag Campbell said detectives are still actively investigating the case and encourage anyone with information about Benjamin’s disappearance to contact the department. 

Campbell said the department believes there may have been people involved in Benjamin’s disappearance who aren’t coming forward. 

“It is being investigated as more than just a missing person’s case, but also a missing person’s case with a criminal aspect to it,” he said. 

People can share information by calling JPD’s dispatch line at 907-586-0600 or submitting an anonymous tip through Juneau Crimeline.

Juneau saw two destructive residential fires in a mobile home park in the course of just three days. One fire resulted in a fatality. 

The first fire was reported on Saturday evening at about 7:30 p.m. at the Switzer Village Mobile Home Park in Lemon Creek. Family members reported that 38-year-old Juneau resident Calvin Olsen died in the fire. Olsen played a key role in helping launch Juneau’s first tribally owned auto detailing shop called Sacred Shine.

The second fire was reported before noon on Monday, less than three blocks away. Officials said it appeared that no one was home at the time. 

At the scene of Monday’s fire, Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief Rich Etheridge said the causes of both fires are still under investigation. But, he said Juneau tends to see an increase in residential fires with the onset of cold weather. 

“When we have cold snaps like this, structure fires are pretty common because people are trying to find ways to heat their places, so fire danger goes way up,” he said.  

Temperatures dropped to -7 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend at the Juneau International Airport. On Monday, the National Weather Service in Juneau issued an extreme cold warning through noon on Tuesday. 

Etheridge said the cold weather can also cause operational issues like equipment failure. On Monday, a valve on a responding fire engine froze up and the fire hydrants weren’t pushing out water with enough pressure. 

He said it’s important for residents to check their heat sources regularly and make sure they are clear of any flammable objects. Electric space heaters should be turned off if no one is in the room with them.

“Just stay safe, check on your friends and neighbors, make sure people get heat,” Etheridge said. “If you’re running into problems, call the local heating companies and try not to jerry-rig something.”

Etheridge said CCFR will share more information about the causes of the fires in the coming days. 

Following a partial opening last week, Eaglecrest Ski Area is experiencing some issues going into this weekend, including a broken water line, a delayed opening of the Ptarmigan lift and a pause in snowmaking efforts.

The ski area unexpectedly closed on Friday and will remain closed Saturday due to a large break in its main water line that supplies its lodges. 

The ski area’s staff says they are working to get it fixed as soon as possible. 

In a video shared Thursday evening, Craig Cimmons, the general manager of the city-owned ski area, also gave an update on the status of its chairlifts. Eaglecrest opened at a limited capacity earlier this month, with only its Porcupine lift running, which services the mountain’s easiest trails. 

Cimmons said in the video that the ski area had hoped to have Ptarmigan up and running, but unexpected additional repairs are delaying its opening date. The Ptarmigan chairlift services the middle of the mountain. 

“Because we chose to get that lift in its best possible working order, it’s just taking longer to get to that point,” he said. “But it’s going to be safer in the end, operating better than it has in a long time.”

He said the water line for Eaglecrest’s snowmaking system also froze over recently, meaning it isn’t able to make snow at the moment. Despite that, he said there is a lot of natural snow on the mountain, and its backcountry terrain is open for recreation. 

Because of Saturday’s closure, Eaglecrest’s ski school is cancelled that day. Eaglecrest will make an announcement about Sunday’s lessons on Saturday. 

Juneau is expected to see bitter cold temperatures and Taku winds heading into the weekend, and low temperatures into the next couple of weeks. The National Weather Service in Juneau issued a cold weather advisory and a high wind warning starting Thursday evening.

According to the National Weather Service, the coldest wind chill temperatures will be at higher elevations, like the ski area.