The National Weather Service Forecasts-

TODAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOCALLY WINDY. SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MORNING...MAINLY SOUTH OF JUNEAU. HIGHS AROUND 29. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. NEAR DOWNTOWN JUNEAU AND DOUGLAS...NORTHEAST WIND 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 45 MPH...DECREASING TO 15 TO 25 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOCALLY WINDY. LOWS 13 TO 20. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. NEAR DOWNTOWN JUNEAU AND DOUGLAS...NORTHEAST WIND INCREASING 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH LATE.

THURSDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. WINDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE
AFTERNOON. HIGHS AROUND 28. NORTHEAST WIND 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH.

Last weekend brought over a foot of new snow to the region. This came to rest on a spatially variable snowpack surface. We had some surface faceting, some small windslabs with near surface faceting below them, and sun crusts in places along south facing slopes. New snow does not tend to bond well to any of these snow surfaces.

This storm event came in with some winds associated. It left soft slabs that were skier triggerable over the weekend but we were not seeing natural avalanches.

Yesterday the winds spun around to the NE. This is the most critical direction for direct loading of our Urban avalanche paths.

You could see massive amounts of snow being wind transported into our starting zones.

There was enough new snow transport to trigger several natural avalanches around the region. A piece of the Behrands Avalanhe Path slid during this event.

It was good to see the avalanches as it confirms for the most part that the avalanche danger is so far confined to only the new snow on the surface of the snowpack. The lower weak layers appear to be holding weight at this time.

There are still a great many areas that have not slid. With winds still loading the urban paths avalanche danger will remain considerable.

Natural Avalanches are possible. Human triggered avalanches are probable. The mouse trap has been set and is simply waiting for the trigger(you).

Be careful if you head out into the mountains and recognize danger levels are still quite considerable.

Avoid avalanche prone terrain today. Please avoid The Flume and Perseverance Trails. Please do not walk in the gated areas above the Behrands Avalanche Path. Please do not park, walk or jog along Thane Road through the avalanche paths.

The easiest way to avoid avalanche danger is to simply limit your time in Avalanche terrain. Use caution and recognize there is still a great deal of snow on the hill that has not come down but is still quite weak.

Enjoy a beautiful day.

For a slideshow of yesterdays Avalanche Event in the Behrands Path go to:

http://kath.tv/news/images/MtJuneauAvalanche031213_TomMattice_640.gif

Special thanks to Mikko Wilson for putting this together.

This weekend is the last round of the Eaglecrest Mountain Savvy Workshops.

Go To: http://www.juneau.org/ecrestftp/MountainSavvy.php to learn more.

The Mountain Savvy workshops are for 12 to 14-year-olds interested in exploring Eaglecrest and it's environs on skis and boards. This workshop is open to skiers and riders who can comfortably ski/ride the East and West Bowls in most conditions. This workshop requires the ability to ski or ride off the groomed trails in all conditions. Participants will get off the groomers and explore Eaglecrest's off piste terrain! Workshop is taught by certified Eaglecrest patrollers and experienced mountain guides.

This workshop will provide a one day introduction to the important skills for exploring our mountain environment. It will identify the different things to be aware of both inside and outside the ski area boundaries. It will introduce tools and tactics to keep participants and their friends safe regardless of where they choose to ski or ride. Mountain Savvy will give them the foundation for developing good decision-making skills.

To sign up contact [email protected]