Thunderstorm Wind — Juneau Borough, Alaska

2025-06-16 · near Douglas, Juneau Borough, Alaska

Event narrative

A sudden wind shift to the south from a strengthening squall line measured a peak gust of 73mph at the top of the Mt. Roberts Tram at 304pm and a peak gust of 60mph at the top of the Federal Building at 310pm AKDT. The NOS Juneau Tide Gauge at the USCG dock measured a peak gust of 47mph at 306pm AKDT and the Juneau Airport center runway measured a peak gust of 47mph at 321pm.

When the squall line reached the Port of Juneau shortly after 3pm, a cruise ship at the AJ Dock was pushed away from the shore causing the lines to snap and the ship to drift well out into Gastineau Channel. The public reported loose debris picked up by the wind shattered a windshield in Douglas and several reported quarter inch hail or smaller between 3 to 330pm AKDT. The public reported a truck canopy along the road in the Twin Lakes area and another report of trees down in the Lemon Creek area, including a photo of a large pine tree trunk snapped, both around 340pm. Two video accounts showed a gustnado spun up and crossed over Egan Drive and the Airport parking lot. No damage was noted from the gustnado. At approximately 350pm AKDT a report from out the road noted a burst of strong wind followed by small hail for about 10 minutes.

Not including the snapped mooring lines, repair costs at the dock were estimated at $8,200 and the dock was able to be used again that same day.

Wider weather episode

On the afternoon of Monday, June 16th, 2025, a fast-moving squall line of thunderstorms tracked northward across the central and northern Panhandle, resulting in damaging wind gusts and localized impacts, particularly in the Juneau area.

Analysis indicates that the primary storm structure was a squall line. The squall line stretched across the panhandle and the Inside Passage east to west, beginning sub-severe in the vicinity of Wrangell around noon, reaching severe criteria as it tracked up Stephen's Passage, then continued northward, reaching Skagway shortly after 5pm.

As the squall line reached the City and Borough of Juneau just after 3pm, a sudden onset of high winds of 50+ mph led to multiple damage reports across the area. The most significant incident occurred at the AJ Dock, where mooring lines securing a cruise ship snapped, causing the vessel to drift from the dock. Additional impacts across Juneau included broken tree limbs, shattered vehicle windshields, and temporary power outages.

Near the Juneau International Airport, a gustnado was also observed crossing Egan Drive and the airport parking lot. After reviewing satellite imagery, eyewitness reports, and surface observations, the NWS has confirmed the occurrence of a gustnado in the vicinity of the airport and is categorized as a thunderstorm wind event event within the severe squall line.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (58.2862, -134.3933)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1280627. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.