Jennifer Pemberton

In this newscast:

• Electric utilities want to change how they charge for electric vehicle charging
• Statewide effort to raise funds for Tonga is underway

The winter storm warning for Juneau has been extended until 6:00 a.m. Friday.

The first wave of snow that started on Tuesday night brought 8 inches of snow to Juneau.

The forecast for this second wave calls for 6-12 additional inches on Thursday, with the snow getting heavier and wetter as the temperature rises. We can also expect light freezing rain before Friday morning.

The avalanche danger for urban areas around Juneau is high and increasing. Widespread natural avalanches are likely overnight and into Friday, and it’s possible that some of the slides will be large.

The city’s emergency manager recommends avoiding the Flume Trail, Perseverance Trail and the gated area above the Behrends neighborhood at least through Saturday morning.

On Friday, the snow is forecast to transition to freezing rain and then rain, with a high near 38. The longer-term forecast has rain every day into the middle of next week.

The National Weather Service office in Juneau is warning of significant winter weather on Tuesday afternoon, bringing heavy snow at first and rain later in the week.

A winter storm warning is in effect until 3 a.m. Thursday. The heaviest snowfall is expected Tuesday evening.

Up to 5 inches of snow are expected Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon that snow could turn to freezing rain, but ice is not expected to be a big problem.

Winter Storm Warnings & Advisories are in effect for portions of SE starting Tuesday afternoon. Greatest snowfall expected from Yakutat to Icy Strait/Juneau Tues night. #akwx Sitka & Angoon will see some accumulating snow before a change to rain, but below advisory criteria. pic.twitter.com/X3facbt5bC

— NWS Juneau (@NWSJuneau) February 1, 2022

On Thursday, there’s another round of snow, says Wes Adkins from the National Weather Service.

“This is a change,” Adkins said in a briefing Tuesday afternoon. “Initially we were looking at all rain, but now we’re seeing the cold air stick around. So it’s going to start as heavy wet snow. And I’ve put the emphasis on ‘heavy’ because that’s going to be heavy in weight as well.”

And then, the rain comes.

“That’s going to fall on this heavy wet mess and make it even messier,” Adkins said. “And that’s going to be difficult to manage on streets”

The extended forecast is showing rain through the weekend.

Avalanche danger is currently low for urban areas around Juneau, but with the rain and snow in the forecast, the city’s emergency manager expects to see avalanche danger go up. Natural avalanches are possible Wednesday through Friday.

In this newscast:

• Lawmakers hire a law firm to investigate Angela Rodell’s firing
• 2 Juneau orgs are getting $4 million to make homes safer
• The Tazlina is coming to Southeast Alaska
• Lawmakers reject a proposal that would have reduced their living expenses
• Alaska joins Texas in suing federal government over National Guard vaccine mandate

A record amount of rain fell on Friday at Juneau’s airport. The nearly 3.5 inches at the city’s official monitoring station was a daily record – the most rain that’s fallen on January 21st ever – and also a monthly record – the most rain that has ever fallen in January.

There’s a flood watch in effect until 6 p.m. on Saturday for all of the Juneau area, and a stronger flood advisory for Montana Creek, which crested slightly above flood stage overnight. At flood stage, several inches of water should be expected on parts of the roadway.

Eaglecrest ski area closed on Saturday after getting five inches of rain at the base of the mountain. A message on the ski area’s website said the decision was to “preserve the sensitive snowpack.” It’s expected to open again on Sunday.

The avalanche hazard around Juneau is high for Saturday. After some slides on Mt. Juneau and Mt. Roberts relieved some of the pressure on Friday afternoon, 2.5 more inches of rain fell. Juneau’s urban avalanche forecaster Tom Mattice warned that “this is more than enough to reload those slopes with even bigger slabs than we saw [Friday],” in an update for Saturday.

Colder temperatures and drier conditions Sunday and Monday are expected to bring the hazard levels down, but the city is recommending that residents continue to avoid the Flume Trail and the gated area behind the Behrends neighborhood.

Rain is expected to continue through Saturday night and into Sunday and could be heavy at times. There’s rain in the forecast for the next seven days.

President Joe Biden is holding his first formal press conference of the year at the White House. The event comes as the administration faces numerous challenges, including the surging coronavirus pandemic and ongoing supply chain issues.

He’s expected to speak at 12:00 p.m. local time in Alaska.