Capital Transit, submerged in pooling water, photo courtesy of CBJ
NOTN- Winter is far from over, and the next phase of Juneau’s extreme winter weather is coming in the form of an atmospheric river, which is expected to bring heavy rain to Southeast Alaska through the weekend, and this is raising concerns about flooding as rain falls on to an already deep snowpack that has clogged storm drains, flooded roads and pooled on highways and strained local infrastructure.
The system is forecast to arrive late tonight and persist through early Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service Juneau.
In Juneau, forecasters are predicting the storm will begin as snow and transition to rain Friday morning, totaling roughly 1 to 4 inches.
The rain will fall on the already deep snowpack across much of the central and northern Panhandle, increasing water pooling in streets and low-lying areas where blocked storm drains prevent proper runoff, there is also increased risk of possible isolated landslides for the southern panhandle.
Governor Mike Dunleavy has verbally approved Juneau’s disaster declaration, activating the state’s public assistance program.
Under the declaration, the state is assisting Juneau with clearing snow from roofs of critical public facilities, including schools, water treatment plants and Bartlett Regional Hospital.
Crews will also help dig out storm drains and fire hydrants to reduce flooding and maintain emergency access. However, officials emphasized that the assistance does not extend to private homes or businesses.
Emergency managers said conditions will continue to be monitored closely as the storm develops and additional updates will be issued as needed.
The deadly landslide that crashed through the outskirts of Wrangell on the night of Nov. 20, 2023, is seen from the air on the following day. The landslide killed six people and blocked a major road, the Zimovia Highway. The slide was triggered by heavy rain carried north by an atmospheric river. (Photo provided by Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)
Future assessments of U.S. landslide hazards could include the study of risks posed by atmospheric rivers, which caused extreme precipitation that was linked to recent deadly slides in Southeast Alaska.
The added focus on atmospheric rivers is one of the main updates in a bill that would reauthorize the National Landslide Preparedness Act. The bill, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, passed the U.S. Senate on Monday and is now to be considered by the U.S. House.
Atmospheric rivers are long and transitory bands of moisture and heat, likened to rivers in the sky. They carry that moisture northward from more southern latitudes, and they can dump vast amounts of rain for several hours or even days.
“You can very rapidly saturate soils in the right conditions,” said Rick Thoman, a scientist with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
When such large amounts of warm southern moisture hit the steep mountainous regions of Southeast Alaska, they can cause sudden downhill flows, Thoman said.
“It’s really that intense amount of rain that atmospheric rivers deliver that’s the link to landslides,” he said.
Numerous landslides in the United States have been triggered by atmospheric rivers’ extreme precipitation. Those events include the 2023 slide in Wrangell that killed six people, the 2020 slide in Haines that killed two people and the 2015 slide in Sitka that killed three people.
Extreme precipitation events from atmospheric rivers are tied to shallow-seated landslides such as the deadly events that struck Southeast Alaska in recent years. Other types of Alaska landslides are caused by more deep-seated slope failures triggered by glacial retreat, permafrost thaw or a combination of those forces.
Also passed on Monday by unanimous consent in the Senate was another Murkowski-sponsored and disaster-focused bill, the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act. That bill, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, supports the federal program that maintains earthquake measurement resources and equipment and equipment and early warning systems.
“Earthquakes and landslides are active threats that have taken lives and damaged property across Alaska in recent years,” Murkowski said in a statement issued Tuesday. “Our passage of these bills puts us on track to ensure that federal agencies have the resources they need to help keep communities safe both back home and around the country. I thank my colleagues for working cooperatively to pass these measures and urge the House to take them up and send them to the President as soon as possible.”
Update: Following an emergency declaration by the City and Borough of Juneau and the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida, Governor Mike Dunleavy declared a state disaster, unlocking emergency and operational support as Juneau prepares for an incoming atmospheric river.
Officials say funding and staffing are urgently needed to reduce roof snow loads, clear drainage systems, access hydrants, and monitor avalanche risks, particularly at schools and other public facilities. The National Weather Service is forecasting up to two inches of rain on Friday alone and rapidly warming temperatures later this week, which will increase the risk of avalanches and landslides.
State Emergency Operations Center staff and partner agencies have already begun mobilizing resources to assist Juneau.
City Manager Katie Koester says the winter storm impacts are unprecedented, noting the community is exhausted and winter is far from over. The Juneau Assembly is scheduled to consider ratifying the disaster declaration at a special meeting this evening, with public participation available both in person and online.
Original Story:
Juneau has declared a local emergency to bring in additional help to clear snow from public facility roofs as the prolonged heavy snowfall followed by rain is raising concerns about roof loads and public safety.
“Our city crews have been busy doing snow removal and now hauling away snow. Our personnel are getting tired, and we’re getting low on personnel. So what’s coming up next, especially with the rain, is shoveling our public facility roofs.” Said Mayor Beth Weldon, “That’s the city roofs, and also the tribal roofs. The state is already sending public facility crews to help out with that, but in order to do that, we needed to have an emergency declaration.”
The emergency declaration, issued this evening, was made jointly by the City and Borough of Juneau and the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida.
The declaration allows the state to deploy public facilities crews to assist with clearing snow from city and tribally owned buildings, digging out fire hydrants and conducting avalanche monitoring as needed.
Weldon stated that the additional resources will be used only for public infrastructure and not for private properties.
“These crews are coming in to help with the government, that’s what they do with an emergency, so they will not be helping with individual private roofs or private driveways.”
The emergency declaration also makes it possible to request help from the Alaska National Guard.
“At this time, we’re not sure if the National Guard will be coming or not. It will depend on what these public facility crews can do. So there’s potential that they will come, but at this time, we’re not sure if they will come or not.” Weldon Said. “Between our crews and the public facility crews, if we can get the roofs shoveled off, especially now with the rain, then we don’t need the National Guard. If we do need the National Guard, especially shoveling out hydrants, then they will bring those in also. We’re not 100% sure what that looks like yet. This is hot off the press.”
Weldon said the city had not previously declared an emergency because conditions were manageable, “We just want to make sure that the public is aware why we’re declaring one now, now that it’s raining and the snow is getting a little heavier, we’re getting concerned with our roofs, although right now, structurally, we are fine.”
The emergency declaration does not change how the city is handling street plowing. Weldon said city crews will continue working on roads, but snow berms left by plows on private property will remain the responsibility of property owners.
“I’m not saying that the city crews at some time can’t help a little bit with the berms that unfortunately end up being on private property, We’re very aware that berms are very hard to shovel, but we don’t have the manpower right now to take away the berms.”
Juneau has been dealing with record-breaking snowfall in recent weeks, taxing local resources and prompting repeated closures of schools and city facilities.
NOTN- Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon is travelling to Washington, D.C., this week to press federal officials and Alaska’s congressional delegation for funding and coordination on the city’s long-term solution to recurring flood risk from Suicide Basin, even as the capital city grapples with ongoing winter weather.
“Hopefully we get more money, and we’ll work with some of the agencies to coordinate our enduring solution.” Weldon Said, “So first we’ll talk to our delegation, Representative Begich, Senator Sullivan and Senator Murkowski.”
Weldon said she plans to meet with Alaska’s Delegation to seek immediate geotechnical funding through congressional spending, while also pursuing longer-term financial support through federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“We’re actually going to talk to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, and that’s the Civil Works branch, just to make sure that the Secretary and the Army Corps of Engineers are aligned with our project, and we are also talking with the Forest Service and the Office of Budget Management to make sure our path forward is aligned.” Said Weldon.
City leaders and project partners have unanimously selected the Lake Tap option as Juneau’s enduring solution to flooding concerns, Weldon said. The approach was chosen because it is the fastest to implement, the least environmentally disruptive and the most cost effective among the alternatives considered.
“It’s cheapest, as in under a billion dollars, not by much, but all the rest of them were way over a billion dollars.” Said Weldon, referring to other options considered, like an enclosed dike, “And now, even though it’s snowing like crazy, we have to look at our flood, our next big event, which is flooding.”
Snow reports yesterday, photo courtesy of the National Weather Service Juneau
NOTN- City and Borough of Juneau facilities and offices will be closed today as hazardous road and weather conditions persist following about 6-7 inches of additional snowfall in some areas of Juneau yesterday, with exceptions for Downtown Juneau, West Juneau and South Douglas, who, according to reports saw 11-12 inches, 9.5 inches, and 9 inches of snowfall respectively.
Juneau School District schools will also be closed and the UAS campus will be operating remotely.
City officials urged residents to stay off the roads for their own safety and to allow snow removal crews to continue their work as efficiently as possible. While facilities are closed to the public, CBJ staff will continue providing services remotely where feasible.
The closure affects all Juneau Public Libraries and the Juneau-Douglas City Museum, as well as all Parks and Recreation facilities.
Capital Transit will continue operating on winter routes. Riders are encouraged to check service updates at juneaucapitaltransit.org.
City officials said they are assessing the roofs of city-owned facilities and will continue monitoring storm and road conditions, sharing updates as they become available.
Kim Kovol has accepted a job with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced last week. Her last day working for the state was on Friday, and Tracy Dompeling, the department’s deputy commissioner, assumed the role of acting commissioner, the statement said.
The department’s primary divisions are the Division of Juvenile Justice, the Alaska Psychiatric Institute, the Alaska Pioneer Homes and the Office of Children’s Services.
Kovol was the first commissioner of the Department of Family and Community Services, which was created in 2022. Up to then, its functions were part of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Through an executive order, Dunleavy split that department into two: the Department of Health and the Department of Family and Community Services.
In his statement, Dunleavy said Kovol was a “strong and dedicated leader” for the redesigned department. “As the first Commissioner of DFCS, she built a foundation focused on service, accountability, and support for Alaska’s most vulnerable populations. I thank her for her service and wish her every success in this next role,” he said.
Kovol said she was honored to have served in that role. “I am incredibly grateful to the staff, partners, and communities who have supported our work. Together, we have made meaningful progress for Alaska families, youth, and elders, and I will always be proud of what we have accomplished,” she said in the statement.
Kim Kovol, the first commissioner of the Alaska Department of Family and Community Services. The department was created in 2022 when the Department of Health and Social Services was divided into two entities: the Department of Health and the Department of Family and Community Services. Kovol’s last day working for the state was Jan. 2. She has taken a job with the U.S. Department of Health and Social Services. (Photo provided by the Alaska Department of Family and Community Services)
Kovol is the second Alaska department head to leave state service to join the Trump administration. Almost a year ago, Emma Pokon left her position as commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation to become the Pacific Northwest regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Dunleavy in May chose Randy Bates to be the department’s new commissioner. Bates was formerly director of DEC’s Division of Water.
With Kovol’s departure, there are now five state departments with leaders who currently lack legislative approval.
In addition to Bates, Dunleavy has named commissioner-designees for the Department of Law and the Department of Natural Resources. Dunleavy in August named Stephen Cox, a former U.S. attorney in Texas, as Alaska’s attorney general, replacing Treg Taylor, a Republican who is running for governor.
Dunleavy also named John Crowther, a DNR veteran, as his choice to be permanent commissioner. Crowther became acting commissioner after John Boyle resigned from the position in October.
Bates, Cox and Crowther are subject to legislative confirmation after lawmakers convene later this month for their 2026 session.
The state Department of Revenue is currently being led by an acting commissioner, Janelle Earls, who assumed the job in August after Adam Crum left the commissioner post. Crum is another Republican candidate for governor.
Dunleavy has not yet named his choices for the commissioner posts at the Department of Revenue or the Department of Family and Community Services, said Jeff Turner, the governor’s spokesperson. Earls and Dompeling are currently acting commissioners and it is not clear whether the governor will name commissioner-designees for those positions, he said.
Dunleavy is in the last year of his second term. He is term limited and may not run for reelection.
CBJ- New snowfall, warming temperatures and high winds in the forecast are elevating avalanche risk in all known slide paths (see map).
This is not an evacuation advisory; however, conditions can change quickly and with little warning. CBJ will send out an emergency alert if an evacuation advisory is called. CBJ is prepositioning resources to prepare for potential emergency sheltering (Centennial Hall) as well as additional response resources should they be required.
DOT&PF reminds drivers to use caution while travelling on Thane Road and not to stop in the known avalanche zone.
CBJ will continue issue alerts like these if conditions worsen or major changes are observed. You can find current hazard levels at bit.ly/CBJavalanche.
This is not an evacuation advisory. Residents should know their risk, remain alert, have a go-bag ready, prepare household evacuation plans and stay signed up for emergency alerts.
For questions contact emergencyresponse@juneau.gov.
NOTN- Juneau schools and City and Borough of Juneau offices will be closed today as a winter storm warning takes effect earlier than expected, with forecasters calling for heavy snowfall and hazardous road conditions across much of Southeast Alaska.
The City and Borough of Juneau announced that all CBJ offices and the Juneau School District will be closed.
City staff will work remotely where possible and remain available by phone or email. Officials are urging residents to limit travel to allow snow removal crews to operate safely and efficiently.
According to the National Weather Service, snow is beginning this morning for much of Southeast, and intensifing through the afternoon, with peak snowfall around midday.
Updated forecasts issued late Sunday moved winter storm warnings up in time for Juneau, Pelican, Gustavus, Hoonah and Angoon.
The weather service said Juneau could see between 8 and 14 inches of snow by this evening, Snow is expected to start out light and fluffy before transitioning to wetter snow later tonight, meaning residents can shovel snow early before the snow becomes wet and dense.
City officials are encouraging residents to avoid unnecessary driving and to check road conditions if travel is unavoidable.
The Juneau Police Department is also asking the public to report slick intersections or dangerous road conditions to its non-emergency line.
Snow removal crews from CBJ Streets and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities have been working through the weekend to prepare for the storm.
Photo generously provided by Bartlett Regional Hospital and Ortega/Schroth family
BRH- Bartlett Regional Hospital welcomed a special delivery on January 3rd – the first baby born in 2026. Bjorn Schroth was born weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces and is 20.5 inches long. Bjorn is the first child of Annie Ortega and Austin Schroth of Juneau.
“The nurses are great and have been super helpful to us as new parents,” said Annie. “Before Bjorn was born, a coworker commented that his name was fitting of a boat captain, so to receive this handmade boat is really special,” said Austin.
Bartlett Beginnings gifted the family a handmade wooden rocking boat filled with newborn items. The family is the ninth recipient of what has become a Bartlett Beginnings tradition for the first baby of the year. The boat was made by Dr. Lindy Jones, an Emergency Department Physician at Bartlett, and his wife, Colleen Jones. This year’s boat is made from Sitka Spruce donated by Icy Straits Lumber in Hoonah.
With nearly 300 babies born a year at Bartlett, Bjorn is the first of many special lives to be welcomed at the hospital in 2026. To learn more about Bartlett Beginnings, please visit bartletthospital.org/services/birth-center.
The record-breaking winter storm has created a dangerous and unprecedented situation for Fairweather Equestrian Center, where 17 horses remain confined indoors.
There are fears that the weight of heavy snow could cause the large barn roof to collapse.
Kristina Friend, who owns horses at Fairweather Stables off Industrial Boulevard, said the ongoing snowfall has left her and other caretakers facing risks they have never encountered before in decades of keeping horses in Juneau.
“I’ve had horses here since the 90s, and we’ve never seen a situation like this.” Friend said, “Usually, our large metal roof slides frequently on its own. But so far, it has not let loose.”
Because of the buildup of snow on the roof, all rear stall doors leading to outdoor paddocks have been locked. Friend said allowing the horses outside could put them directly beneath the roof if it suddenly sheds snow, not only that, Friend says that when snow slides happen, the horses can get spooked, meaning the current safest place remains inside in their stalls.
“We don’t live somewhere that has another facility to house 17 horses, so it’s not really an option to get them out of here and move them somewhere else.” Said Friend, “We’re not able to go into our paddocks to remove the snow because of how large of a building it is, if it was to let loose, it would bury us like an avalanche. So we’re not able to safely get below it to release it, because the barn is 170 feet long and almost just as wide.”
Attempts to address the problem have included flying guide wires over the roof with a drone in hopes of pulling snow loose, but the efforts have so far failed. Caretakers are now renting industrial heaters to try to warm the building enough to encourage snow to slide, though Friend said the barn’s size makes success uncertain.
Friend said there is still a lack of expertise and safety equipment to allow anyone onto the roof.
“We have no way of getting on the roof safely.” Friend Said, “We don’t have any type of equipment for tying anybody down or climbing equipment or anything like that. There’s no way to be up there.”
Friend said the barn’s community has come together to ensure the horses continue to receive care.
“We have a group chat going all the time,” she said. “Everybody pitches in to help with everybody’s horses. So we were making it through. It’s just the stress, it’s not just people that are trapped and not able to get out.”
Friend hopes the community understands the seriousness of the situation and that additional expertise or equipment may help prevent the worst case scenario.
“We’re very concerned the roof could collapse.” Friend said, “It’s so difficult to ask for help because everybody is so stretched thin. We are trying all the suggestions that have been given. We’re just really worried about the horse’s safety and the people for that matter.”
Tyler rental has supplied the Stable with a lift, to remove snow from the roof.
