TODAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS AROUND 39. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. NEAR DOWNTOWN JUNEAU AND DOUGLAS...GUSTS TO 30 MPH.

TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 23 TO 32. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 25 MPH. STRONGEST WINDS NEAR DOWNTOWN JUNEAU AND DOUGLAS.

FRIDAY...SUNNY. HIGHS AROUND 39. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 25 MPH. STRONGEST WINDS NEAR DOWNTOWN JUNEAU AND DOUGLAS.

Temps remanded below freezing at all three ridge top weather stations in the past 24hours. The Tram reached -2c yesterday afternoon before falling back to -4.5c overnight. Eaglecrest was colder at -7c overnight.

Moderate to strong NE ridge top winds continue to transport snow. This is evident by scouring and deposition of snow at our weather stations as well as the large plumes of snow visible off many of the mountains around town.

Main avalanche problem today is wind slabs. Wind slabs will continue to build with the moderate forecast for the next 24 hours. Isolated pockets of wind slab may release throughout the day. There are still isolated pockets of the persistent weak layer above the January crust. These isolated pockets are not continuous enough to constitute a large problem for the urban paths. Avalanche mitigation work on Thane Road yesterday showed that the persistent weak layer is not widespread in the upper Thane start zones as their work produced little results.

If the high clouds clear out as forecasted later in the day the strong solar radiation may start some small wet slides in our upper start zones. I don?t anticipate these slides to be large at this time. Wet slides will become more of an issue tomorrow after the high clouds clear and we have prolonged solar input.

Please note that we compile this forecast by looking at snow data from all over our local mountain ranges, this forecast is targeted at the slide paths that impact CBJ homes, roads, and trails, and is not a general backcountry forecast. There is a lot of spatial variability out there right now, and our start zones are not representative of many of the areas where people recreate in the backcountry.

Backcountry travelers beware! There were large slides on Douglas this week: one skier triggered slide on Ben Stewart, which occurred after multiple tracks had been put on that slope The slide was believed to have slid on the persistent weak layer (facets) just above the thick Jan Crust. This means crown heights of up 8ft in places.

Avalanche Danger for the urban zones is MODERATE: Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible. Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas.

Here is the definition of a loose wet avalanche from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center website.

Release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. They generally move slowly, but can contain enough mass to cause significant damage to trees, cars or buildings. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Travel when the snow surface is colder and stronger. Plan your trips to avoid crossing on or under very steep slopes in the afternoon. Move to colder, shadier slopes once the snow surface turns slushly. Avoid steep, sunlit slopes above terrain traps, cliffs areas and long sustained steep pitches.