Bitter cold expected to stick around in Southeast, meteorologist says

Mount Juneau bears the recent Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016, snowfall that fell on Alaska's capital city about midday. (Photo by Tripp J Crouse/KTOO)
Mount Juneau bears the recent Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016, snowfall that fell on Alaska’s capital city about midday. (Photo by Tripp J Crouse/KTOO)

After a mild start to December, it’s gotten bitter cold in Haines and Skagway, with temperatures dropping into the teens and single digits. With temperatures far below freezing, snowfall from the weekend is not likely to go anywhere soon.

Meteorologist David Levin at the National Weather Service in Juneau said the chilly weather is going to stick around.

Juneau forecast

Expect highs in Juneau to hang around 20 degrees for most of the week, according to the National Weather Service. Lows will drop into the mid- to high teens. Scattered snow showers are expected Tuesday in Juneau, with isolated snow showers on Wednesday.

“Right now we’re expecting it to last through the end of the week and probably into the weekend, next weekend as well,” Levin said.

Levin said the Arctic air is coming from the north, and affecting much of Southeast Alaska.

“Usually to get the cold air into Southeast Alaska you need a big, cold high pressure system over the Yukon,” Levin said. “That kind of forces that cold air through the passes and sometimes over the mountains into the inner channels of Southeast Alaska. You need a pretty strong, high pressure system to do that and that’s kind of what we have going on right now.”

This week’s chilly temperatures are not breaking any records, but they are below average for this time of year.

The average low in Haines is 23 degrees, while the low Monday, was 11 degrees.

Haines and Skagway may get a few inches of snow Tuesday and Wednesday.

At the same time, Southcentral Alaska is experiencing some of the coldest temperatures in a few years.

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