This is the Nov. 16 report for the Southern Chugach:
How ever much new snow is present, the importance lies in the warming temperature and very weak underlying snowpack that has formed over the last month. This weather system will bring warm weather and the chance for large amounts of precip. The freeze line will determine whether it falls as rain or snow. One model I looked at this morning has the rain line rising to 3000 feet. This could be good for our overall winter snowpack. It wouldn't hurt to put some warmth and moisture into our very dry and weak snowpack. Natural and human triggered avalanches will be likely were large amounts of snow or rain are precipitating. If the rain line does rise in elevation, remember that rain on new snow will increase the chance for avalanche activity quickly.
I don't get it - is it better that some rain is going to put warmth and moisture into the snowpack thereby making it stable (it was full of surface hoar and depth hoar before) or will extra rain increase the slide potential? This report seems to contradict itself...
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