A view of Mt. Juneau from across the channel shows the Behrends avalanche path as a treeless swath on the side of the mountain. (Photo by David Purdy / KTOO)
The City and Borough of Juneau issued an avalanche alert via text Monday afternoon, telling residents in the Mount Juneau slide path to be prepared.
It’s the second avalanche alert issued in the last week, as record-breaking snow blankets the community and the mountains above it.
Ryan O’Shaughnessy, Juneau’s emergency programs manager, said the alert is not an evacuation advisory.
“It’s reminding folks to be prepared to evacuate, and that conditions can change rapidly,” he said.
He said that the historic 4-foot snowpack appeared to stabilize over the weekend. But on Monday the avalanche risk rose again due to a change in the weather.
“With new snowfall today, warming temperatures and high winds in the forecast, avalanche danger is increasing,” he said.
The alert covers residents in the Behrends and White neighborhoods, as well as Thane Road. The road remains open, but drivers are reminded not to stop in the avalanche zone.
In the event of an avalanche evacuation, O’Shaugnessy said Centennial Hall will be the emergency shelter and the American Red Cross has resources staged there now. He also said the Alaska Department of Transportation is prepared to clear evacuation routes.
He said the avalanches that DOT triggered above Thane Road on Gastineau Ridge last week weren’t very large, and that tells him two things: the snowpack is a bit more stubborn than anticipated, and there is still a lot of snow up there.
A tsunami evacuation sign in Unalaska. (Kanesia McGlashan-Price/KUCB)
The Alaska Earthquake Center is in negotiations with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to restore funding for nine seismic stations.
In late September, NOAA advised the center it would no longer fund its real-time seismic data flow to the National Tsunami Warning Center, a service the federal organization had been funding for decades.
In a statement in mid-December, a NOAA spokesperson said the federal government was working on a “potential funding mechanism” to maintain the stations. A spokesperson for the Alaska Earthquake Center said they expect to have the funding by mid-January.
Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator at the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, said scientists can make better decisions faster with more seismic stations. He said the speed of earthquake detection is key to tsunami detection.
“We are built for speed, so we have to do that part very quickly,” he said. “Our aim is to get that first message out within five minutes of detecting the earthquake.”
Several of the stations listed to go dark are in the Aleutians, a region where large earthquakes are very common as the Pacific plate slides beneath the North American plate.
Snider said the Aleutian seismic stations matter most for nearby coastal communities, where every minute counts when detecting a tsunami.
“For a really strong nearby quake, if there’s one that’s happening right along your coastline, it could be immediate,” said Snider.
He said how quickly a tsunami could hit a community depends on the earthquake’s strength, depth and exact location.
Snider said losing the nine seismic stations in the Aleutians could delay earthquake detection by up to a minute.
“Earthquake signals travel out and away from that epicenter really quickly,” he said. “So even if there’s, you know, one sensor is out in your community, there’s going to be another one behind it and another one behind that.”
Ben Knowles, Unalaska’s fire chief and director of emergency services, said funding is always an issue.
“We want good funding for these agencies that help communities like ours with early warning and early detection that’s extremely important for us,” he said.
When a large earthquake strikes near the Aleutian region, Knowles said, there’s a whole process that follows.
“The National Tsunami Warning Center has an entire center of people that are dedicated to monitoring these things,” he said. “We also partner with places like the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the Alaska Earthquake Center, the National Weather Service, and so they all work hand in hand.”
If there is a tsunami threat, Knowles said the city alerts residents through the Nixle system, social media and if necessary, sound sirens. KUCB also broadcasts emergency information on 89.7 FM and KUCB.org.
Whether the Aleutians seismic stations stay on or not, Snider is confident his team can keep communities safe. But the more seismic stations, the merrier.
“There’s always room for more data,” he said. “And any scientist would never disagree with that.”
In the meantime, the University of Alaska Fairbanks is temporarily funding the stations, so that earthquakes in the island region are detected quickly.
Heavy equipment sits in the parking lot of Fred Meyer grocery store in Juneau on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (Photo by Mike Lane/KTOO)
Update, Sunday:
Fred Meyer reopened Sunday.
Update, Saturday 2 p.m.:
Fred Meyer remains closed. Nugget Mall is also closed due to snow accumulation.
Original story:
It’s a new year, but Juneau residents are still digging out from four feet of snow that fell this week.
The heavy snow collapsed the roof of at least one Juneau business, and others have closed for snow removal.
Fred Meyer closed early on Thursday and did not reopen on Friday morning.
“Our Juneau Fred Meyer is temporarily closed to allow for snow removal and will reopen as soon as possible,” said Tiffany Sanders, a spokesperson for Fred Meyer, on Friday morning. “Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
A sign on the grocery store of Fred Meyer grocery store in Juneau notifies customers that the store is closed for snow removal on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (Photo by Mike Lane/KTOO)
It’s unclear when the grocery store will reopen to the public. The Fred Meyer gas station is also closed after part of its awning collapsed.
The roof of the Juneau Shotokan Karate dojo in the Mendenhall Valley collapsed on Wednesday morning, according to Vice President of the Board Sandy Burgess. She wrote on social media that no one was inside the building at the time.
At least nine vessels and multiple boat shelters sank at Juneau’s harbors throughout the week. The city’s docks and harbors staff are working around the clock to respond to reports and are pleading with owners to check their vessels.
Harbormaster Matt Creswell said dozens of boats have had near misses.
“It’s going to be a long process with the number of boats that are currently sunk, but staff are ready for that challenge,” he said on Friday morning. “We’ll be working in earnest, starting today, raising vessels, but expect that to be a couple week process to get everything up.”
The Alaska Department of Transportation reopened Thane Road on New Year’s Day after performing avalanche mitigation that morning. Officials say the avalanche danger remains high in all neighborhoods below Mount Juneau.
According to the National Weather Service, more than 80 inches of snow fell at Juneau International Airport last month. It made December the capital city’s second snowiest month ever recorded.
As plowing and roof clearing continue throughout the community, where to put all the snow is becoming an issue.
“The snow removal process takes a long time because we basically have to either, with snowblowers or loaders, load all that snow into dump trucks and take it away,” City Manager Katie Koester said during a press availability on Wednesday. “We’re also having challenges at the snow storage sites, just because of the tremendous amount of snow.”
No major snow is forecast to fall in Juneau until Monday. However, temperatures are expected to drop this weekend.
A Twin Lakes resident shovels snow off of a roof on Dec. 31, 2025. (Photo by Alix Soliman/KTOO)
Update: The Alaska Department of Transportation reopened Thane Road on Thursday.
The City and Borough of Juneau is warning residents about urban avalanches a bit differently this year in an effort to help residents in the downtown avalanche zone understand how they should respond to the danger.
The Alaska Department of Transportation closed Thane Road Tuesday evening and observed several small avalanches in the area overnight. The department plans to fly helicopters over the area to trigger avalanches using explosives or a blast device called a DaisyBell on Thursday starting at 11 a.m.
Juneau activated its new avalanche communications strategy as a winter storm dumped around four feet of snow on the capital city over roughly four days.
Nicole Ferrin, a warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Juneau, said at a press briefing Wednesday that the winter storm brought new snow records with it.
“The depth was 50 inches of snow on the ground, which is the deepest snow depth ever recorded at the Juneau Airport,” she said, adding that the previous record for accumulated snow was 41 inches in February 1949.
Weather officials say more than 80 inches of snow has fallen at Juneau International Airport this December, making this the city’s second snowiest month ever recorded so far. The month-long record was set in February 1965 at 86.3 inches. For reference, Juneau averages around 88 inches of snow all winter.
City officials say they’ve changed messaging around avalanche danger to help people understand what to do.
The biggest change is that the city is no longer expressing avalanche danger on a scale from one — low — to five — extreme. Now, it’s using a “ready, set, go” system instead.
Ryan O’Shaughnessy is the emergency programs manager for the City and Borough of Juneau. He says the five-point scale was geared towards backcountry recreation like skiing and snowmobiling, and didn’t really tell residents living in an avalanche path how they should respond.
“There is not a recognized urban avalanche hazard scale that’s widely used and accepted by avalanche forecasters, and that’s largely because there are not many places in the United States that have the urban avalanche hazard that Juneau has,” he said.
The five-point scale included both the likelihood and size of an avalanche. Now, O’Shaugnessy says the focus is on the potential downhill impact.
“When we start seeing conditions developing that are trending towards a threat to life, safety or public infrastructure, that’s where we’re at an ‘elevated risk.’”
He says residents in hazard zones should always be ‘ready’ during a winter storm, meaning they should stay up-to-date with weather conditions. When the city issues an advisory saying there’s an elevated avalanche risk, they should get ‘set’ by packing a bag and preparing to stay with friends or family outside of the avalanche zone. An evacuation notice means ‘go’ immediately.
He says it’s too dangerous to trigger avalanches above the Behrends neighborhood, so leaving in the event of an evacuation notice is the best strategy.
The city is sending emergency alerts via cell phone notifications that residents can opt into. O’Shaughnessy urges people to sign up and says roughly 10% of Juneau’s population is on the list.
“That’s absolutely the best way to stay up to date on hazard awareness and any protective actions that may be required,” he said.
O’Shaughnessy said the city won’t rule out going door-to-door to warn residents, as it has in the past, but text alerts reach people faster.
The other change is that city staff are no longer evaluating snowpack in the field to issue an independent avalanche forecast. Instead, O’Shaughnessy said the city is relying on forecasts prepared by professionals at the Alaska Department of Transportation and the Coastal Alaska Avalanche Center.
The National Weather Service’s winter storm warning ended today at noon and snowfall is expected to taper off Thursday, but the avalanche danger remains.
The Behrends Path above Glacier Highway, where a small snow slide came down on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
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.”
Snow covers the roads in downtown Juneau on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
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-timesnow 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.
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.
