Weather forecast cause for concern?

First time to Alaska leaving Fri. Aug. 18 from Seattle. Weather there looks great for our pre-cruise stay beginning this Wednesday. But Juneau and Skagway on the 20th and 21st, respectively, look grey and wet. We'll be prepared in terms of clothing, but does the rather dreary forecast mean we won't be able to see very much in terms of glaciers, natural landscape, etc.?

Overcast and rain have nothing to do with viewing. Fog does.

Why even bother worrying and speculating. You are going on the trip, since I'm assuming you aren't going to cancel? Take and enjoy what you get. It will be a unique experience at that moment..

It is a waste of time, looking up weather in Alaska, extremely unpredictable and changeable. If you are compelled to check, the day prior doesn't even have ideal accuracy..

Any forecast more than 24 hours out is worthless.

The key to Alaskan weather: hope for the best, plan for the worse and have fun no matter what.

Sounds like great advice from both of you!

Have a wonderful cruise.

Keith

When you book AK the odds are that you will see rain somewhere. Be prepared and make the best of it. Have a great trip.

Bon Voyage!

Our fist stop was in Ketchikan a few weeks ago. One of our most anticipated excursions, a fishing trip, was set for that day. It poured rain all day, or at least until the ship started pulling out. Our fishing was cancelled, so we went into plan B although we had to make that up as we went. Took short bus tour, walked city, spent hour in a dive bar talking to locals. We had a great time and our positive attitude was rewarded with the best weather of the season for the rest of the cruise, per just about everyone!

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Take the advice to enjoy the cruise no matter what the weather. First time we never saw the sun after Vancouver but my son and I still kayaked in the rain in Ketchikan . Last visit the sun was so bright and the day so warm that even the locals were shocked.

I lived a summer in AK in Sitka, sometimes weather changed virtually hourly.

I think we're fairly well prepared in terms of rain gear. It's not as though we're going to cancel at this late date! We leave for SEA tomorrow; sailaway is on Friday. Thx to all of you for weighing in. Your comments certainly gave us some perspective!

Fortunately, the local science community and the public library will be big screen live streaming the eclipse. There are some emails circulating about what the eclipse will look like in SE, clouds.

Overcast weather actually provides better glacier viewing than clear sunny skies. The contrast is much stronger with the colors in the ice.

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Yes, sometimes it rains in Alaska