With a taku wind event occuring and direct loading into our urban paths avalanche danger for windslabs will be increasing.

These slabs will start quite shallow and grow in depth over time. Use extra caution in windloaded areas over the next several days. Natural avalanches will be possible during this event... and human triggers more likely in windloaded areas.

Any time you add load you again have to question the deeper instabilities in the snowpack. This wind event will add windload and stress to this deeper weak layer in place.

We have a weak layer of facets deep in the snowpack. Be aware that although hard to trigger this could be a large hard slab avalanche.

Probability of slides on this layer currently is LOW and yet we will be watching it over time as load increases. This is the type of weak layer that could last all season... and is also the type that could lead to large avalanches that could threaten the urban paths later in the season as load increases.

The National Weather Service Forecasts-

Today- Locally very windy. Partly cloudy. Highs around 27. Northeast wind 10 to 20 mph. Near downtown juneau and douglas... Northeast wind 20 to 40 mph with gusts to around 65 mph.

Tonight- Locally very windy. Partly cloudy. Colder. Lows 12 to 20. Northeast wind 10 to 20 mph...except northeast 25 to 45 mph with gusts up to 80 mph near downtown juneau and douglas.

Saturday- Locally very windy. Sunny. Highs 17 to 23. Northeast wind 10 to 20 mph...except northeast 25 to 45 mph with gusts up to 80 mph near downtown juneau and douglas.

Temperatures have cooled around the region slightly this am and will continue to fall tonight into tomorrow by around another 10 degrees. this actually adds a little bit of stress to the snowpack.

We have not seen precipitation in days.

Currently winds are out of the North in the region which directly loads our urban avalanche paths.

This morning the Mt Roberts Tram is showing 30mph winds gusting to 40... but the gauge tends to be in a protected area during North wind events. My assumption is the ridgetop winds are much higher.

Eaglecrest is also showing windloading winds with 15mph winds gusting to 20 and higher.

The forecast is for increasing wind speeds later today into tonight.

Be aware Avalanche danger is MODERATE to Considerable. Both natural and Human triggered avalanches may be possible in windloaded areas.

Aviod spending time above the gates in the Berhands Neighborhood. Recognize danger are increased throughout the region.

Here is a great link to a quick read about windloading and windslabs.

http://www.fsavalanche.org/wind-slab