Blizzard — City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska

2023-03-01 · City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska

Event narrative

The ASOS at the Juneau airport had continuous visibility of one quarter mile or less between 9am and 1pm with winds gusting between 36-56mph. Whiteout conditions were reported on Egan Drive, the main highway in town, and the city closed multiple activities including a school early dismissal. Storm total snowfall from this event ranged from 6 to 12 inches before changing to rain in the afternoon.

Wider weather episode

A strong low pressure developed over the northern Gulf of Alaska bringing significant moisture to Southeast Alaska. Cold air entrenched over the region at low levels ahead of the event allowed for significant snow to fall across the area in two major pulses. The first being along the warm front, with a period of blizzard conditions over Juneau, and the second pulse occurred as the cold front moved across the region.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1082367. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.