TODAY...SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MORNING...THEN SCATTERED SNOW AND RAIN SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION TO 1 INCH. HIGHS AROUND 35. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTHEAST LATE IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT...LOCALLY WINDY. MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW
LATE. LOWS 24 TO 30. NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH...EXCEPT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH NEAR DOWNTOWN JUNEAU AND DOUGLAS.

WASHINGTONS BIRTHDAY...NUMEROUS RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS. SNOW
ACCUMULATION TO 1 INCH. HIGHS AROUND 33. EAST WIND 5 TO 15
MPH.

The warm weather yesterday and pulse of rain up into the start zones brought settlement to the snowpack. The dropping temps starting about 9:30 last night are creating bonding within the new snow.

We have had an estimated 10 - 20cm of new snow last night in the alpine with moderate winds. This means that the main problem is still storm slabs. Sizes for these slides are going to start small, the danger exists that they will step all the way down to the old Melt Freeze layer creating crown lines that are 40 - 70cm deep.

Due to the poor snow coverage in our start zones before this storm cycle started it is unlikely to see large slides that would damage homes/vehicles.

Still a good time to stay off the Flume/Perseverance and out from under Thane Rd as a pedestrian.

AVALANCHE ECOLOGY

For people caught on the wrong mountain slope at the wrong time, avalanches can be lethal. But for wildlife, they can be a benefit, carving out habitat and increasing biodiversity.

Shrub-filled avalanche paths are attractive to a variety of species because the paths exhibit a diverse structure: a tall stratum of vegetation, such as alder; a middle level that may consist of chokecherry and serviceberry; and a short understory of small shrubs such as bearberry and snowberry, plus an abundance of grasses and flowering plants. This vegetative structure nurtures a variety of insect species as well as the different insect-eating birds that prey on them. Birds respond to the kind of landscape diversity found in avalanche paths?vertical and horizontal diversity?simply by having more food available, more nesting sites, and more cover from predators.

Larger birds also find ways to exploit avalanche paths. Bald and golden eagles check out avalanche chutes for carrion after the snow has melted out. They try to beat bears to the carcasses of elk or goats that got caught in winter avalanches. Moreover, golden eagles in particular will use avalanche paths to hunt for ground squirrels, marmots, and other prey. In spring this may be an important food source for bald and golden eagles migrating through.

At the top of the food web are brown bears. One can frequently see them moving through the shrubby vegetation growing in avalanche chutes. ?Bear elevators? is how Dan Fagre, a U.S. Geological Survey ecologist, describes these chutes. That's because the bears that start foraging at the bottom work their way to the top, feasting on berries and other delectables as they go.

The bear elevators illustrate one of the direct ecological impacts of avalanches. But there are indirect impacts, too. For example, by moving large amounts of debris, water, and chemicals from higher to lower elevations, avalanches redistribute resources in ecologically significant ways.