Residents of Juneau are living in a snow globe. Another winter storm began Sunday night, dropping more snow on top of the 4 feet that fell just after Christmas.
City offices and facilities will remain closed Tuesday, as well as local schools.
During a break in the snow over the weekend, many residents prepared for the oncoming winter storm by digging out roofs, driveways and cars.
As of Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported 6 inches to a foot of snow have fallen in Juneau during the ongoing storm.
Nicole Ferrin, the warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Juneau, expects more precipitation throughout the panhandle Tuesday, with a lot of variation depending on location. She said that although the temperature has risen above freezing in some areas, it hasn’t consistently changed over to rain.
“We’re definitely seeing some unusual observations as far as temperatures right now,” she said on Monday afternoon. “Kake is up to 34 degrees, but they’re still snowing.”
Ferrin said that’s because it can still be cold enough in the clouds to produce snow. But she said the precipitation can switch back and forth. At this point, snow showers are expected to continue in Juneau through Tuesday.
Juneau Harbormaster Matt Creswell said the city’s docks and harbors department brought on nine additional staff members, doubling the team, to clear snow and pump out boats. He said no more boats have sunk since last week, so far.
“We feel like we’re finally catching up a little bit and getting our heads back above water,” he said.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has authorized the city to dump relatively clean snow into Gastineau Channel as operators run out of space on land. That does not include snow from highways, which has been polluted by salt and de-icing chemicals.
The city also published a map of fire hydrants and storm drains on Monday. It also announced that residents can park for free in one of the city parking garages downtown in order to help clear the streets for plowing.
The city is still tallying damages from the record snowfall. Part of the Fred Meyer gas station awning, at least one carport, and the roof of a martial arts dojo near the airport collapsed under the weight of the snowpack last week.
Doug Murray has been the chief instructor at the dojo for a decade.
“That’s a big blow,” he said of the cave-in. “If we go out and look elsewhere, you know, and for a place to rent, it’s most likely going to be three to four times the cost we were paying.”
He says the Dojo has been renting the building for more than 40 years. Now, the group is looking for another space to practice while the building owners assess the structure.
This story has been updated with school and city facility closures.