Weather Service issues flood watch

Vehicles send up a spray of water along Egan Drive on Thursday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Vehicles send up a spray of water along Egan Drive on Thursday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

The remnants of an Asian typhoon will pour up to six inches of rain onto Juneau by the end of Friday and cause some flooding, the National Weather Service warns.

In a message Thursday morning, Weather Service forecasters said the aftermath of Typhoon Lan has created an atmospheric river carrying a stream of water from the subtropics toward Southeast Alaska.

Between Thursday and Friday, the Weather Service says Juneau will get about 5.78 inches of rain as the atmospheric river sends a torrent of rain through the gap in the outer coast formed by Icy Strait. Hoonah will see more than 3 inches, Gustavus more than 5 inches; Pelican is expected to see more than seven and a half inches of rain.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

A flood watch extends across northern Southeast, from the southern tip of Baranof Island to the Canadian border north of Skagway and Klukwan.

According to a cautionary message sent by the Weather Service, “The persistent heavy rain will saturate the soils and combine with rising freezing levels to melt high elevation snow resulting in the potential to produce significant runoff. The runoff will cause significant fast rises on small creeks and streams and could produce some flooding.”

By 1 p.m. Thursday, the Weather Service had already seen more than a third of an inch of rain at Juneau International Airport.

There is some good news in the forecast, however: Once the atmospheric river passes through the area Friday evening, skies will clear in time for the weekend.

The forecast for Saturday and Sunday calls for mostly sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid 40s.

 


 

• Contact reporter James Brooks at james.k.brooks@juneauempire.com or call 523-2258.

 


 

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of March 16

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

Research biologists pause among the wetlands of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, with the Brooks Range in the background. The Trump administration is taking steps to offer the entire coastal plain for oil and gas leasing, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Thursday. (Lisa Hupp/USFWS)
Interior secretary announces plans to advance new Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil leasing

Follow-ups to Trump executive orders will mean leasing across ANWR, wider NPR development.

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Storis near Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 10, 2024. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
Storis icebreaker expected to make ceremonial visit to Juneau this summer, officials say

Coast Guard icebreaker set to be homeported locally will still need further upgrades for deployment.

The Columbia state ferry docks at the Auke Bay Ferry Terminal on March 4. (Laurie Craig / For the Juneau Empire)
Alaska Marine Highway’s long-range plan met with skepticism and concerns

Residents decry loss of service, Murkowski says “once-in-a-generation” funding opportunity in peril.

Salmon dries on a traditional rack on the beach in the Seward Peninsula village of Teller on Sept. 2, 2021. Salmon is a dietary staple for Indigenous residents of Western Alaska, and poor runs have created hardship. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Bill would change the makeup of the Alaska Board of Fisheries

Would require commercial, sport and subsistence members, along with one representing scientists.

Sara Kveum speaks to the crowd rallying in front of the Alaska State Capitol, alongside Nikki Bass, both members of the Key Coalition of Alaska advocating for disability rights on March 19, 2025 (Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
‘We are done waiting!’ Advocates and supporters of Alaskans with disabilities rally at the Capitol

Participants focus on Medicaid, eliminating waitlists for support services, infant learning programs.

John Boyle, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (center left), sits with staff in the gallery of the Alaska House of Representatives as lawmakers debate the creation of a separate Alaska Department of Agriculture on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Speaking is Rep. George Rauscher, R-Sutton. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska Legislature halts Dunleavy effort to create agriculture department

Legislators cancel executive order but say a bill to create the department is possible later this year.

A plane flies over the town after taking off from the dirt runway on Sept. 14, 2019, in Kivalina. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Possible Postal Service changes present challenge to Alaska Bypass Mail

Rural communities depend on service for food shipments.

Most Read