The National Weather Service Forecasts-

TODAY...DECREASING CLOUDS. AREAS OF DENSE FOG WITH VISIBILITY
ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS AT TIMES IN THE MORNING. HIGHS AROUND
34. LIGHT WINDS BECOMING NORTHEAST 10 TO 15 MPH IN THE LATE
MORNING.

TONIGHT...CLEAR...BREEZY. LOWS 14 TO 22. NORTH WIND 15 TO 25
MPH. STRONGEST WINDS DOWNTOWN.

SATURDAY...SUNNY. HIGHS 23 TO 29. NORTH WIND 10 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT...CLEAR. LOWS 11 TO 21. NORTH WIND 10 MPH.

We have received a few cm of new snow above 1800' each day for the last 3 days. Total accumulation for the last 3 days of about 15cm after some fairly rapid settlement. Higher accumulation totals are expected at upper elevations.

The new snow is quite cohesive and bonding to itself. Yet it is has fallen on a weak layer generated by an interface between two storms. Yesterday Avalanche Activity was present both in Natural Slides and Man Made Slides. This wet new snow was sticking to very steep pitches and adding up in the trees.

Many natural releases were sighted yesterday. The snow falling off of trees and steep faces continued to gather mass as it bulldozered down the mountainside.

These were mostly wetter loose snow avalanches and slabs were not seen or propagating widely.

This avalanche activity places a tremendous amount of stress on the snowpack below it. If deeper weak layers were present and easy to trigger this avalanche activity may have propagated down to those deeper weeker layers but it did not. So even though we have some surface instability this is a small clue that deeper week layers should hold at this time.

With temperatures continuing to fall in the next 24 hours the weak surface layers in place should start to settle and bond quite well.

With no precipitation in the forecast and very limited wind activity there will be little or no additional load placed on these weak layers in the near future.

Some small windslabs may still exist at or near ridgline and summit.

Danger levels are still considerable at this time but should fall to moderate in the next 24 hours or less.

Remember the snowpack is still quite warm and has not refrozen at lower elevations. Be aware if your are hiking in the backcountry and you are still postholing deep in the pack through multiple upper layers the posibility of avalanches still exists until these wet layers freeze again and start to hold your weight.

AVALANCHE COMPANION RESCUE - Skills Workshop Series
EVERY SATURDAY IN JANUARY

Sponsored by
Eaglecrest Ski Area
Juneau Mountain Rescue
Southeast Alaska Avalanche Center

Saturdays in January from 1-3:30 PM

Meet at the Eaglecrest Avalanche Beacon Training Park

Saturday January 8th - Avalanche Transceivers, Single Search

Saturday January 15th- Multiple Avalanche Transceiver Searching

Saturday January 22nd- Strategic Shoveling

Saturday January 29th - Companion Rescue Overview- Live Recovery Exercise