By Jasz Garrett at 3:00 p.m.
Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – January might break Juneau’s snow record for the month after all. It all depends on how much snow falls before midnight Wednesday.
National Weather Service Juneau issued a Winter Storm Warning for Juneau from 3:00 p.m. Wednesday to 3:00 p.m. Thursday, with the heaviest snow expected across Southeast on Wednesday evening. The snow will continue through the night but should lighten up. The snow is expected to become heavier again in the morning time.
National Weather Service Juneau meteorologist Rick Fritsch compared this storm’s snow ratio to last week’s snow ratios. He said in this week’s system, it will be a little more than half an inch an hour. In last week’s three-day winter storm, there were periods when there was an inch of snow an hour.
He looked at the 24-hour total for how this system will impact Juneau as well as other Southeast communities.
“Starting with Juneau, anywhere from 12 to 14 inches with the highest amounts down south right around Thane. The lowest amounts would be out the road in this particular case because the bulk of the moisture that’s coming at us is coming from the south. If you drew a line between Sitka and Juneau it’s going to be streaming in from the south along that line slightly to the east,” he said. “So, Sitka is going to get some, Angoon is going to get some, we’re gonna get some, but not very far to the west of that the totals go down pretty rapidly.”
He added that Skagway and Haines are also under a Winter Storm Warning, but with different expectations than Juneau’s.
“There’s gonna be a 24-hour total of eight inches in Haines, almost eight inches in Skagway, nine inches in the Klondike Highway and White Pass. But the snow ratio is going to be much higher. Their snow is gonna pile up but it’s gonna be easy to take care of,” Fritsch explained. “In Juneau, the snow ratio is going to be lower, meaning the higher water content per inch of snow. We all know the phrase, wet heavy snow is going to be difficult to manage. This is not going to be as bad as it has been in the past.”
Over 24 hours up to 6 inches of snow is expected for Gustavus, 6 inches is expected for Hoonah, 5 inches for Tenakee Springs, and about 4 inches for Sitka.
To tie a 2009 January snowfall record, Juneau would need at least 5.2 inches of snow by midnight on Jan. 31. The 2009 monthly record was 75.2 inches. Currently, the Juneau International Airport sits at 70 inches.
Fritsch added that it’s important for the public to be aware of slippery road conditions as there is black ice on the roads.
