Juneau, Alaska, braces for more snow: 'There's nowhere to put it'
After 6 feet of snow in December, residents of Juneau, Alaska are struggling to remove snow from their roofs and boats this week before more snow and rain hit.
Heavy snow blankets rooftops, cars and roadways in Juneau, Alaska, on Jan. 7, highlighting the impact of ongoing winter weather in the region.
A record-snowy December in Juneau, Alaska, wreaked havoc across the city with the unusually-deep snow sinking boats and causing roofs to collapse.
Residents say there's nowhere to put the cleared snow. This week, snow is starting to pile up again, with rain on the way making the situation even more dire.
As the snow began to fall again on Wednesday afternoon, the City and Borough of Juneau and Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska issued a local disaster declaration. Gov. Mike Dunleavy followed with a state disaster declaration, providing immediate emergency and operational resources needed to recover and prepare.
Where does all the snow go?
"There's not enough places to put our snow here in Juneau," local resident Tom Skinner explained Wednesday. "So we have these industrial size, snow blowers and they blow it in the back of a semi. We have a big, huge parking lot over by the glacier, and that's where they're going to be dumping the majority of the snow."
Heavy snowfall has left Juneau, Alaska, buried under feet of snow. As cleanup continues, residents are now bracing for the potential of flooding in the coming days.
"Look at this! This thing is buried. Oh my goodness. I got two vehicles that I won't see till spring," Skinner said while gesturing at a snow covered car in his driveway.
While Alaska has a reputation for being snowy, Juneau received nearly an entire winter season's worth of snow in December with 82 inches (6.8 feet), compared to a historical average of 17.5 inches. The city averages 87.8 inches (7.3 feet) of snow all winter. December 2025 was the second-highest monthly total snowfall on record for Juneau.
Snow in Juneau, Alaska, on Jan. 6, 2026. (AccuWeather/Aaron Rigsby)
Snow brings down roofs, boats
Six feet of snow is bad enough, but when temperatures in the teens spiked to 34 and 36 degrees on Monday and Tuesday, the snow started to melt. Additionally, more than half an inch of rain soaked the snow, adding to the weight.
A number of boats and boathouses have collapsed in the harbor, and officials are urging residents to clear snow from their boats and roofs to avoid collapses before the next snowy period starts this week.
A boat sunk by heavy snow in the harbor in Juneau, Alaska, on Jan. 6, 2026. (AccuWeather/Aaron Rigsby)
"Heavy snow can quickly reduce stability and cause vessels to sink, leading to property damage and pollution. We are already responding to multiple sinking vessels," the Arctic District of the U.S. Coast Guard warned on Facebook on Dec. 31.
Video from Storm Chaser Aaron Rigsby on Tuesday showed residents desperately trying to remove snow from their roofs before the new storm, sometimes with three or four people working on one roof.
Residents shovel snow off a roof in Juneau, Alaska, on Jan. 6, 2026. (AccuWeather/Aaron Rigsby)
"Several homes and buildings and houses have had their roofs cave in from the amount of weight of the snow," Rigsby said, adding, "The mix of rain has almost turned it into cement, with this type of snowpack adding so much pressure to these buildings."
Thane Road, the only road to the town of Thane southeast of Juneau, closed on Dec. 31 due to avalanche danger, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said. It reopened on Jan. 1.
This isn't the first time Juneau has experienced a heavy burst of snow over a few days. A similar event in January 2024 also caused roof collapses and boats to sink. Juneau has been the site of several weather events recently, recording a tornado in June of 2025 and a glacial outburst in August.
What caused the heavy snow in Juneau?
"An amplified jet stream pattern along the Alaskan Panhandle during the month of December resulted in highly anomalous snowfall totals in Juneau," AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Glenny explained. "Multiple moisture-filled storms impacted the region in waves that month, with some even stalling for several days."
Snow fell Wednesday, but only accumulated to 2 inches. Now, the threat turns to rain.
"Moderate to heavy rainfall is likely across much of the panhandle on Friday, with 1-3 inches possible through Friday night," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham says.
"Flooding concerns will increase once snow changes to rain, particularly in areas with deep snowpack, even though not all of the snow will melt with this storm." In addition, Buckingham noted, "Snow- and ice-clogged storm drains may cause water to pond in locations that typically do not flood."
Additional storms are expected next week, bringing more rain to low elevations. Rain and above-freezing temperatures will melt more snow, increasing the risk of flooding in Juneau and other parts of southeastern Alaska.
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