This story has been updated with additional forecast information as of 5:30 p.m. Sunday
A major snowstorm is expected to hit Juneau early Monday morning, with nine to 15 inches of snow during a 24-hour period and winds gusting to 60 miles per hour in some areas, according to the National Weather Service Juneau.
A blizzard warning for Juneau between 6 a.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday was issued at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Brian Bezenek, a lead meteorologist for NWS Juneau, said Sunday evening it appears downtown Juneau and Douglas will experience the most severe conditions.
“All of the downtown area and the Douglas area are going to have probably near-zero visibility, or quarter-mile visibility at times,” he said. “So therefore we went with a blizzard warning over a winter storm warning.”
Snowfall will likely start in the early morning hours of Monday, but heavy snowfall isn’t expected until about 6 a.m., Bezenek said.
“Probably the (heaviest) snowfall rates are going to be 9 a.m. to mid-afternoon, or something like that,” he said.
Strong winds gusting to 50-60 miles per hour are also forecast, Bezenek said.
Similar warnings are being issued for other communities in the northern part of Southeast Alaska, while the southern part of the region is likely to see intense rain storms, he said. The cause of the storm is “a very powerful system developing in the north Pacific and it is lifting northeast towards the southeast Gulf, and the (precipitation) bands are pulling north through the southern part of the Panhandle.”
Wet weather is expected throughout the week after the storm passes, but precipitation should taper off and temperatures are expected to be in the low 40s and high 30s, Bezenek said.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
