The National Weather Service Forecasts-

TODAY...INCREASING CLOUDS. HIGHS 26 TO 34. SOUTHEAST WIND TO 10 MPH BECOMING NORTHEAST 10 TO 15 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW LATE. LOWS 25 TO 30. NORTHEAST WIND 10 MPH.

SATURDAY...RAIN...POSSIBLY MIXED WITH SNOW IN THE MORNING. LITTLE OR NO SNOW ACCUMULATION. SNOW LEVEL RISING TO 1000 FEET. HIGHS AROUND 36. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 MPH.

We have not received any substantial precipitation since around 1am on the 3rd.

Between the morning of the 2nd until around 1am on the 3rd we received about 25mm of precip at the Mt Roberts Tram. This was accompanied with periods of high winds. That came in as around 27mm of fresh snow that has since settled to just over 10cm.

The several days of time since then has given the snowpack the chance to settle and bond well in most places.

We had quite a bit of wind during and after the last storm cycle. Be aware there are isolated areas of windslab with underlying weakness. It will take a fair trigger to see activity but in places weakness remains.

This will be especially important to watch as new snows come in the future adding additional load.

Without much wind or precipitation currently or in the forecast avalanche danger in the urban area will remain LOW.

US Forest Service hosts ice safety training and demonstration at Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center by Capital City Fire and Rescue (CCRF) Saturday, January 9 from 1:30pm until 3pm.

The program will begin in the visitor center auditorium with a video and slide show illustrating the effects of cold water immersion and rescue techniques. An outdoor demonstration follows with a rescue from an icy pond adjacent to the visitor center.

?This program is aimed at keeping people safe in winter,? said visitor center director John Neary. ?Being prepared and knowing how to save yourself and those around you in case you fall through ice is a really important skill.?

CCFR special team Engineers Jayme Johns and Brady Fink and Captain Travis Mead will conduct the training and rescue demonstration along with members of the department and volunteers. As part of the indoor training, the rescuers will show a video featuring Canadian researcher Dr. Gordon Geisbrecht, also known as ?Professor Popsicle? for his cold water immersion studies. Dr. Geisbrecht intentionally skis into a hole cut into a frozen lake and describes his reaction to the onset of hypothermia. Another aspect of the program will be a description of some of the hazardous pond sites around Juneau where adults, children and pets can get into trouble with thin ice.

?We are hosting this valuable session for the public to let people know the dangers of being on Mendenhall Lake and other places that appear safe but harbor truly hazardous conditions for the unwary,? said visitor center naturalist Laurie Craig. ?We are grateful to Capital City Fire and Rescue staff for sharing their expertise on Saturday afternoon.?

For more information call 907 789-0097.