Steady snow beginning early Wednesday morning made for iffy road conditions across Juneau as roughly 6-8 inches of fine snow draped itself across the capital city.
But a few sunny days will precede what’s shaping up to be a moderately snowy weekend, said a National Weather Service forecaster.
“We’re not expecting clear skies by (Thursday) morning; we’re expecting partly to mostly cloudy,” said forecaster Kimberley Vaughan in a phone interview. “We are looking for high temperatures that are going to be right around freezing.”
With temperatures expected to hover right around the freezing point, there’s a possibility of treacherous things afoot for parts of town, Vaughan said.
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“Temperatures around downtown will probably be just above freezing, so we could start to see some melting. That is expected going to bring a hazard tomorrow night, with temperatures dropping as low as the teens in the back of the valley,” Vaughan said. “Expect black ice and slippery conditions as things have potentially melted over the day and refrozen over the night.”
Snow blankets a statue in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Feb. 3, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)
On the roads of Juneau, drivers were approaching the situation prudently, said Capital City Fire/Rescue assistant chief Ed Quinto in a phone interview.
“Drivers have been really good,” Quinto said. “This (snow) is pretty light. It’s not bad till it starts warming up. Then we’ll have a problem.”
A few minor collisions had occurred, said Juneau Police Department public safety manager Erann Kalwara, but no significant injuries had occurred. A crash Out the Road had led to an arrest for driving while intoxicated early Wednesday morning, and two other minor collisions had occurred, but drivers seemed to be playing it carefully, Kalwara said.
“Go slow, be careful,” Kalwara said in a phone interview. “Put a lot of space between you and the next driver.”
Fine snow covered Juneau on Feb. 3, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)
Juneau Docks and Harbors harbormaster Matthew Creswell also called for caution in a news release, asking boat owners to check on vessels and make sure snow accumulation wasn’t threatening their seaworthiness and that allo lines and pumps were secure and functional.
Creswell also asked boat owners to make sure any lines, hoses or other equipment that would interfere with snow removal were stowed away.
Conditions over the weekend included the likelihood of more snow, Vaughan said, concentrated on Saturday.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
