It’s already the rainiest July in Juneau’s history with a week still remaining in the month, but it doesn’t appear much more precipitation will be added to that total during the coming days, according to the National Weather Service Juneau.
A total of 10.64 inches of precipitation has been measured at Juneau International Airport as of Wednesday, topping the previous high there of 10.4 inches in 2015, said Nick Morgan, a NWS Juneau meteorologist. A total 10.5 inches was measured in Juneau in 1917, which was not measured at the airport which was built during the 1940s.
“That does seem to be a new monthly max for us,” he said.
It’s also far above the average of 3.76 inches for the month, according to the NWS Juneau website.
A week of heavy storms beginning July 10 is largely responsible for the record, with five days where between 1.07 and 1.8 inches of rain fell, according to the website. The record was topped when another 1.76 inches of rain fell Tuesday.
The extended forecast for Juneau during the next week calls for a chance of rain most days, but Morgan said it doesn’t appear any heavy storms are on the horizon.
This month’s heavy rain days resulted in some streams overflowing their banks and landslides, including one that struck an apartment building on Gastineau Avenue on July 14.
An image Wednesday morning shows the fill level at Suicide Basin approaching the level in 2023, when a record release of water occurred in early August. (Photo from National Weather Service Juneau)
Warnings have also been issued about water buildup in Suicide Basin, where a record release of water last Aug. 5 resulted in record flooding of the Mendenhall River that caused damage to numerous homes. Morgan said Wednesday so far officials are continuing their normal monitoring of the basin without any heightened indicators of an imminent release — although emergency officials for the city have emphasized such a release is possible at any time.
Images from an official monitoring website updated daily show the water level approaching the level reached in 2023, with forecasters stating last week the basin will likely be full by early August. Annual glacier outburst releases known as jökulhlaups have occurred from the basin since 2011, but experts say factors such as the rate of release as well as the amount of water in the basin level are factors in the level of flooding that results.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
