Heavy snow and icy roads are expected in Juneau beginning Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service which issued a winter weather advisory for the Juneau area and upper Lynn Canal.
Slippery roads and hazardous weather conditions could impact evening and afternoon commutes, NWS said in its advisory for the Juneau and Haines boroughs, northern Admiralty Island, the Lynn Canal, Yaiya Inlet and the Klondike Highway.
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The advisory released Tuesday morning said to expect 4-6 nches of snowfall beginning at roughly 6 p.m. Wednesday evening and continuing until 6 a.m. Thursday. But speaking to the Empire by phone, NWS Meteorologist Pete Boyd said updated modeling will likely change that prediction and that snowfall could start earlier in the day impacting afternoon and evening commutes.
Heading into the weekend Juneauites can expect more snow and mixed precipitation with some rain expected as well, Boyd said. Rain accumulation on top of snow leads to icy conditions, particularly on roadways where snow is compacted, he said. More snow is predicted to fall in the Mendenhall Valley than other parts of the city due to colder temperatures there, Boyd said.
Rain and snow are expected through the weekend but there may be drier weather heading into next week, Boyd said.
Current weather information and advisories can be found at weather.gov/juneau.
• Contact reporter Peter Segall at psegall@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SegallJnuEmpire.
