The National Weather Service issued Juneau’s first recorded severe thunderstorm warning on Monday after conditions escalated and a cruise ship partially broke free from its moorings.
It was a sunny afternoon until the sky abruptly darkened, heavy rain came down and winds gusted up to 60 mph.
Brian Bezenek, lead meteorologist at the Juneau NWS office, said the office was aware that the storm was traveling north through the panhandle early Monday morning. But by the time it reached Juneau, the storm’s force surprised him.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Juneau AK, Thane AK and Douglas AK until 4:00 PM AKDT pic.twitter.com/9STzwhQq39
— NWS Severe Tstorm (@NWSSevereTstorm) June 16, 2025
“We were issuing marine statements for thunderstorms in the inner channel, so we were tracking those,” he said. “The intensity was not something we had any larger indications that they were that strong.”
Bezenek said Juneau typically has a thunderstorm once every two years. They’re uncommon in the area because thunderstorms need heat to fuel them and space to grow in the atmosphere. Juneau’s high latitude and nearby icefield prevent storm clouds from growing tall and heating up.
A cruise ship docked downtown broke free of its mooring and drifted into the Gastineau Channel at the height of the storm. Residents shared videos of the Celebrity Edge’s escape on social media.
Matt Creswell, the city’s harbormaster, responded to the incident. He said the wind speed was too much for the lines that tied the ship to the dock and some broke free. He said cruise ship staff then fully untied the vessel to prevent damage to the dock.
“This was the perfect, literally, the perfect storm,” he said. “With the direction of the wind hitting the ship broadside at its moorings and exceeding the capacity that the lines were made to handle.”
He said the ship was able to dock again once the winds died down and there was no damage to the infrastructure.
Residents reported downed trees and hail from Douglas to the Mendenhall Valley. There were no reported injuries from the event.
