After an entire period of cool and clear weather, folks in the panhandle woke to snow on Friday morning. According to the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm advisory to Juneau and Gustavus that will last until Saturday morning.
On Friday, a white cloud with dry, snow that swept across Juneau and the majority in Southeast Alaska. NWS Meteorologist Spencer Fielding said that snowfall will increase late in the evening, and continue until the early hours of Saturday morning.
“During the day, we’ve seen an accumulation of snow throughout the region,” he said. “That is expected to continue into the evening with the bulk of our snowfall coming in later tonight.”
The total accumulations for this weekend are expected range between 5 to 8 inches.
Fielding states that the snowfall will mostly be dry and light with smaller snowflakes thanks to the dry and cold conditions earlier in the week.
“So the reason snow can be dry and light is the temperature of the air above. If it forms and then falls through dry, cold air, we’ll see snow that is lighter,” he said.
The falling snow and the reduced visibility could be dangerous for Friday evening commutes. Drivers heading home need to be extra vigilant.
The snowfall in Juneau has been lower than usual in the winter months, and there was very little snowfall during January. But the snow accumulation is higher in the month of February with snow storms that were small earlier in the month.
