A high pressure system in western Canada will drive temperatures in Southeast Alaska through the floor, possibly hitting below zero at the Juneau International Airport for the first time in years.
“We have a massive high pressure system over the area. It’s parked over Western Canada. All the cold air from British Columbia and the Yukon are coming south into our area,” said Cody Moore, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Juneau office, in a phone interview. “This is a typical wintertime weather pattern where you get a high pressure area over Canada. This type of weather pattern, all the low pressure systems, all the storm systems are getting pushed off.”
While high pressure systems are regular in the winter, Moore said, the temperature they’re reaching isn’t. Temperatures are expected to bottom out early Tuesday and Wednesday morning, and rise slightly thereafter, though they’re unlikely to float above the freezing mark before next week, Moore said.
“The Juneau airport itself hasn’t gone below zero since 2009. This will be the coldest we’ve gotten in more than a decade,” Moore said. “Back of the Valley will likely get below zero. They’ve done that the last couple of years.”
[Coast Guard rescues skier mauled by bear near Haines]
The record low for the airport on Feb. 9 is -2, logged in 1951. Valleys are typically cooler in general in mountainous regions even before considering the chilling effect of the Mendenhall Valley’s iciest inhabitant, Moore said. The temperature isn’t the only dangerous thing, though.
“The most dangerous part of this will be the wind chills. We have forecasted wind chills in Juneau getting down to negative 15 and negative 20 in the morning hours,” Moore said. “Frostbite can occur in around 30 minutes at those temperatures.”
For those that don’t have elsewhere to go, the warming shelter is open at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. The shelter is running with about 50 guests every night and room for 20 more, said Society of St. Vincent de Paul Juneau general manager Dave Ringle in a phone interview, though some former guests have been temporarily denied entry for threatening words or actions toward staff or guests
“Everyone who can agree with our rules is welcome.” Ringle said. “Every five degrees it’s about five more people. I suspect some of the people who’ve tried to make it on their own are going to find warmers spots here when they realize they can’t do it on their own.”
Ringle said that conditions for many of those formerly barred include accepting help for mental health issues, which has led to a number of significant improvements.
“Our hope is we can make it through this cold spell, keep people safe, and work towards a better shelter system in the future,” Ringle said.
The offset is that with cold temperatures and a bit of time, the lake ice has had some time to thicken up, Moore said, with many of his acquaintances having made the trip out to the Mendenhall Lake over the weekend.
Those venturing onto the ice are still asked to exercise caution.
The cold temperatures also means pipes have a chance of freezing, Moore said, especially in older, poorly insulated structures. Leaving taps to drip can help ameliorate the risk.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
