Juneau

Update, 7 p.m. Thursday:

Thane Road is now open.

The Alaska Department of Transportation posted on Facebook that crews had completed avalanche mitigation Thursday and reopened the road.

“Drivers are reminded not to stop in the avalanche zone and to use caution while traveling,” the post reads.

An avalanche advisory remains in effect for the Behrends neighborhood and other areas of downtown in the Mount Juneau slide path.

Update, 1:30 p.m. Wednesday:

Thane Road remains closed as the avalanche risk above it and the Behrends neighborhood remains high.

DOT plans to conduct avalanche mitigation Thursday morning above Thane Road if weather allows. Until then, the road remains closed for safety.

Update, 8:30 a.m. Wednesday:

Thane Road remains closed due to avalanche risk until at least noon Wednesday.

According to an update from the Alaska Department of Transportation, the avalanche hazard remains high for the portion of the road between the avalanche gates.

“DOT&PF crews are continuing to assess conditions. We will provide an updated status around 12:00 PM today,” the update reads.

Original story:

The city issued an alert Tuesday afternoon to residents living in downtown Juneau that avalanche conditions are elevated in the areas above Behrends Avenue and Thane Road. 

The alert is not an evacuation advisory. But the city advises residents in the affected areas to prepare for an evacuation if conditions continue to worsen.

The alert comes after more than 30 inches of snow and freezing rain have fallen in the capital city during an ongoing winter storm. The city activated its new avalanche information page on Monday.

Ryan O’Shaughnessy, the emergency programs manager for the City and Borough of Juneau, says now is the time for residents within those areas to pack a ‘go bag’ and make plans to stay with friends or family in case evacuation is necessary.

“Folks need to be prepared to leave their homes at a moment’s notice,” he said. “I think one of the key things with avalanche hazard, specifically, is that things can change very rapidly and very quickly, and folks need to be prepared.”

Both areas are prone to avalanches. In January 2024, an avalanche blocked Thane Road and another dusted homes in the Behrends neighborhood after more than 30 inches of snow fell during a storm. No damage was reported in either incident.

Patrick Dryer is an avalanche forecaster and geohazard specialist at the Alaska Department of Transportation. He said the department will close Thane Road Tuesday at 8 p.m. in case there is a large avalanche, and will reassess in the morning. 

“They could be large enough to reach the roadway and have debris on the roadway blocking access,” Dryer said. “And so we are doing our preventative closure here tonight during a period of increased hazard for everybody’s safety.”

Dryer dug a snow pit to evaluate the avalanche risk on Gastineau Ridge on Monday. He said Juneau’s extended cold, dry snap earlier this month created weak layers in the snowpack. Then this warmer winter storm piled on heavy snow. 

“So we’re rapidly adding stress, adding weight to those weak layers that has the potential to fail, resulting in large avalanches,” he said. 

But he says this snowfall pattern is unusual for Juneau, so he has a high level of uncertainty about the avalanche forecast. 

“Is there going to be large avalanches, or will there be no avalanches?” he said. “With the intense precipitation and heavy snowfall we’ve had, we haven’t had a lot of observed avalanches. So, you know, it changes so fast.” 

A winter storm warning remains in effect until noon Wednesday. Forecasters say another storm might be on its way to Juneau by the end of the week.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

Update, Wednesday 8:30 a.m.:

City facilities remain closed due to snow. That includes offices, libraries, parks and recreation facilities and the recycling center.

Capital City Transit remains on winter bus routes.

Original story:

City and state facilities remain closed again on Tuesday after record-breaking snowfall in Juneau. 

Official snow totals from the National Weather Service confirm that Juneau has broken its all-time snow record for the month of December with 63.7 inches as of Tuesday morning.

The previous record from December 1964 was 54.7 inches. 

The city originally planned a delayed opening of facilities and services at noon, but then cancelled late Tuesday morning. That means City Hall, public libraries and parks and recreation facilities are all closed. Many businesses have announced closures or reduced hours. 

“Residents are encouraged to continue to exercise caution and limit driving where possible until road conditions improve,” the city posted on social media Tuesday. 

Bartlett Regional Hospital also cancelled all non-emergency services on Tuesday. 

Juneau’s Docks and Harbors department pleaded for boat owners to check their vessels on Tuesday. Multiple boats and boat shelters have sunk under the weight of the snow.

“Every boat in the harbor right now is in danger of sinking if not cared for,” said Harbormaster Matt Creswell on Tuesday afternoon. “If you have a vessel, or know someone that has a vessel, please come down, clear it off and maybe help your neighbor clear theirs.”

Andrew Park is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Juneau. He says this storm, which arrived Dec. 27, has already delivered 30 inches of snow to Juneau and could bring 7 to 10 more inches. 

“It’s just been a heck of a storm — and yes, we’re not out of it yet, so don’t get complacent,” he said. “We’ve got more snow on the way, and we’ll see what we get out by Wednesday morning.”

Park said the snow load on roofs is a concern, especially for those in the Back Loop area of Mendenhall Valley, where he estimates snow could weigh somewhere around 36 pounds per square foot. 

He said to be careful not to block vents when clearing roofs. 

“Especially as you push snow off your roof, you’re going to plug your vent to your house (and) now you’ve got carbon monoxide building up in your home,” Park said.

A winter storm warning remains in effect until noon Wednesday. Forecasters say another storm might be on its way to Juneau by the end of the week. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Chief Rich Etheridge is retiring from Capital City Fire/Rescue at the end of this year. After serving as a first responder for decades, he’s now turning his focus to woodworking.

KTOO’s Mike Lane spoke with Etheridge about his retirement and his future plans.

Listen:

The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. 

Mike Lane: We’re speaking with Chief Rich Etheridge. Chief, you’re retiring soon. How did you come to this decision?

Rich Etheridge: You know, I’ve been in my career for a little over 33 years now. This is all I’ve done since I was 18, whether it was wildland firefighting or a state trooper and volunteer firefighter. Actually never planned on being the fire chief, but it just, you know, happenstance. You know, my career went that direction. But, you know, between family and I’ve got a little side business at home that’s been taking off and you know … I think chiefs need to turn over periodically and just get fresh ideas and new new ideas in the department to keep it healthy.

Mike Lane: You have such an interesting history. You were a state trooper. How long were you a state trooper? 

Rich Etheridge: For almost five years.

Mike Lane: And you weren’t just in Juneau, were you? 

Rich Etheridge: No, most of my time was on the Kenai Peninsula, and then a year up in Talkeetna. It was amazing.

Mike Lane: And then you went to CCFR, or to another fire department. 

Rich Etheridge: Yeah, I got hired back at CCFR as the fire prevention officer. So I was responsible for going out and doing public education, fire investigations, code enforcement and those types of things.

Mike Lane: I see. That’s so interesting, fire investigations. So you’re one of the guys who would determine how the fire started, where it started, and what was used?

Rich Etheridge: Yeah, or I started doing that as a volunteer. It was just fascinating to do that. How did this happen? You know, everybody sees the big black hole, but those big black holes tell a huge story and, and how did the fire travel to get to where it was at? It was just a really unique way to look at firefighting. 

Mike Lane: So what year did you start with CCFR?

Chief Etheridge: I started in, you know, full time as a volunteer. It was like late ‘92.

Mike Lane: Just a few decades. 

Rich Etheridge: Yeah, a couple. 

Mike Lane: A couple of decades. And you worked yourself up the ranks, obviously, from from that point forward. And what are some of the highlights of your career? And can you tell us anything that you’re particularly proud of, something that jumps out at you?

Rich Etheridge: Sure. You know, our response to the COVID stuff here in town, I thought was pretty amazing — how our department responded to that. We stood up a whole lot, really fast. I think we hired 65 people within just a couple of weeks, working with our HR department to staff the airport for COVID testing. We did the drive-through testing centers, and then we also created — what’s alive today — our mobile integrated health program. People that were sick with COVID and couldn’t leave and the doctors didn’t want them in their waiting rooms, we would send EMTs and paramedics out to go take them medicine or you know, whatever they needed to keep them recovering and not spreading COVID around the community. So I think between COVID and that mobile, integrated health program, getting all that stood up and put together, and having it as big and lasting of a program as it’s become.

Mike Lane: CCFR, of course, we’ve reported on this. They’ve struggled over the years with the chronic understaffing issues and union contract negotiations. So what do you think is needed to solve those particular issues moving forward?

Rich Etheridge: Man, that’s a really tough question. You know, Juneau is an isolated community. We don’t have outside resources, and then we also have a budget that we have to work within. So it’s just trying to find that balance between what the needs are and what we can afford as a community. Fire departments are expensive to run, and, you know, trying to get a huge career staff is going to be extremely cost prohibitive for the city, and volunteers are having a harder and harder time volunteering because of the requirements to keep them safe. I think the staffing and the long term retention of folks is going to be the biggest challenge over the next, next decade.

Mike Lane: And what are your plans for after CCFR, what’s your retirement plans?

Rich Etheridge: My retirement plan is to do my woodworking shop a little bit more full time.  Right now, it’s just kind of evenings and weekends and small projects here and there, but be nice to kind of expand that and do a lot more with it. 

Mike Lane: What kind of woodworking?

Chief Etheridge: Right now, one of the primary things I make are looms for the Lingít weavers here in town and the robes that they make and stuff like that. So that’s been one of my primary projects lately. It is so cool to be a part of that. 

Mike Lane: And how did you learn how to do this? 

Rich Etheridge: One of our gentlemen here in town, Kevin Miller, was making them, and he’s retired and travels a lot, and he has a hard time keeping up with the demand for that stuff. So he showed me his magic, how he puts all that stuff together, and I’ve just kind of been running with it.

Mike Lane: Wow. Well, congratulations again, and thanks for joining us.

Rich Etheridge: Hey. Thank you, sir.

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. 

A 7-year-old child died from injuries suffered in a car accident near Auke Lake on Christmas Eve. 

Police received a call around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday reporting that two vehicles had collided along Glacier Highway near Auke Lake, according to a press release from the Juneau Police Department. 

Emergency responders extracted multiple people who were trapped inside the vehicles at the scene, including a child who was reportedly unconscious at the time. 

The child was transported to the hospital and police later confirmed that the child had died. 

The accident closed traffic along Glacier Highway between Pederson Hill and the Auke Bay roundabout for several hours before the road was reopened shortly before 5 p.m. 

Police say they are still investigating the cause of the accident.