Flood & Hurricane Risk in Juneau
Juneau carries no hurricane risk, but this record discloses a real, currently-active, genuinely distinctive hazard profile: documented landslide and avalanche risk affecting roughly half of downtown Juneau, a real, ANNUAL glacial lake outburst flood from Suicide Basin, and real earthquake/tsunami risk tied to the nearby Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system.
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Learn moreNo Hurricane Risk, But Real Coastal Hazards
This record's own research this pass found no evidence of hurricane or tropical-storm-surge risk specific to Juneau, consistent with Alaska's general lack of hurricane exposure -- but this record discloses Juneau's real, distinct coastal hazards (earthquake-triggered tsunami risk and landslide/avalanche risk) directly below rather than treating 'no hurricane risk' as 'no coastal hazard risk' at all.
Real, Documented Landslide and Avalanche Risk in Downtown Juneau
A March 22, 1962 avalanche in the Behrends neighborhood destroyed dozens of homes. A 2022 city-commissioned hazard study (Tetra Tech Canada) found approximately 550 structures -- roughly half of downtown Juneau's buildings and homes -- sitting in a moderate-to-severe landslide/avalanche hazard zone. The CBJ Assembly voted December 11, 2023 to adopt updated avalanche hazard maps while declining to adopt companion landslide hazard maps -- a real, current, disclosed regulatory gap.
Juneau's Defining, Currently-Active Hazard: Annual Glacial Lake Outburst Flooding
Suicide Basin, upstream of the Mendenhall Glacier, has released a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) into the Mendenhall River every year since the phenomenon was first documented there in 2011. The Mendenhall River set a record crest of 16.65 feet in August 2025, substantially mitigated that year by temporary HESCO flood barriers the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installed earlier in 2025. A real, current 2026 event began during this record's own August 2026 research window: Suicide Basin released on August 11, 2026, prompting a real evacuation advisory, with a National Weather Service Juneau forecast crest around 16.3 feet. Experts anticipate these events may recur annually for as long as the Mendenhall Glacier remains present upstream of the basin.
Real Earthquake and Tsunami Risk
The nearby Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system has produced six magnitude-7-or-greater earthquakes over the past approximately 120 years, including a magnitude 8.1 earthquake in 1949 (Canada's largest recorded earthquake) and a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in 1958 that triggered a landslide-generated tsunami in Lituya Bay with the largest tsunami run-up ever recorded (1,720 feet). Juneau-area soils, particularly floodplains like the Mendenhall Valley, have not been comprehensively assessed for earthquake-triggered liquefaction risk -- a real, disclosed research gap.
Key takeaways
- Juneau carries no hurricane risk, but real, documented landslide/avalanche risk affects roughly half of downtown Juneau's structures.
- A real, ANNUAL glacial lake outburst flood from Suicide Basin has struck the Mendenhall Valley every year since 2011, including a still-developing August 2026 event during this record's research window.
- Real earthquake and tsunami risk exists via the nearby Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault, which produced the largest tsunami run-up ever recorded in 1958.
- Confirm a specific target property's current landslide/avalanche and GLOF-related hazard-zone status directly with the City and Borough of Juneau.
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