A blizzard warning for the Juneau area starting at 6 a.m. Monday is published on a National Weather Service Juneau social media page Sunday. (National Weather Service Juneau)

A blizzard warning for the Juneau area starting at 6 a.m. Monday is published on a National Weather Service Juneau social media page Sunday. (National Weather Service Juneau)

Major storm expected to bring up to 14 inches of snow, 60 mph winds to Juneau on Monday

Preliminary forecast expects storm to arrive about 6 a.m., heaviest snow to occur during day.

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.

More in News

(Juneau E
Aurora forecast for the week of Nov. 27

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Police calls for Friday, Dec. 8, 2023

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Emma Pokon, commissioner-designee of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, discusses wood stove pollution regulations affecting the Fairbanks-North Star Borough during a Nov. 26 forum. (Screenshot from video by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation)
Newly designated state DEC commissioner strong supporter of Dunleavy’s challenge to federal authority

Emma Pokon, as state attorney, wrote legislation eliminating independent cruise monitoring program.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Police calls for Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Photo by Valeriya / Getty Images Plus)
Negotiations to decide insurance status of Alaska patients of Providence affiliates

Three health care provider groups with Alaska’s largest hospital have notified the… Continue reading

Harborview Elementary School was briefly evacuated Friday after a bomb threat was received at midday, according to the Juneau Police Department. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Harborview Elementary School briefly evacuated after bomb threat

Police say incident appears connected to other threats at Alaska schools in recent months.

Michael Carter selects chips from a large box while Kalie Purkey wheels their 1-year-old daughter, Oaklynn Carter, along the row of tables at the Southeast Alaska Food Bank’s weekly food pantry on Thursday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
‘New normal’ is long waits for SNAP benefits and long lines at food pantries

Juneau residents cite variety of reasons for being part of backlog of more than 12,000 applicants.

Constantine president Peter Mercer descends from a helicopter after a tour of drilling sites in August. Mercer said drilling work will be similar in the next two or three years, as the company starts to transition to more economic, environmental,. and engineering analysis that will result in a full plan for how to access the ore, which the company is shooting to release in 2026. (Lex Treinen / Chilkat Valley News)
Constantine Mining president lays out timeline for Palmer Project work

Project north of Haines at least five years from decisions about mine development, executive says

Most Read