High avalanche danger in the mountains around much of Southcentral Alaska prompted officials to issue a backcountry avalanche warning Saturday for areas from Anchorage to Seward.

The Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center said that a combination of heavy snowfall, strong winds and low-elevation rain Saturday “will overload a weak snowpack, creating widespread areas of unstable snow.”

The warning is in effect from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday.

Human-triggered and natural slides are likely, and avalanche debris may run long distances into the bottoms of valleys and other lower-angle terrain, the center said.

In Saturday’s avalanche forecast, which noted high avalanche danger at all elevations in the Turnagain Pass and Girdwood areas, the center said avalanches were likely to fail on weak layers about 1.5 to 3 feet deep.

Forecasters recommended that people avoid traveling in avalanche terrain, staying clear of slopes steeper than 30 degrees.

“Avalanche conditions will remain very dangerous immediately after the snow finishes,” the avalanche center said in its warning.

The center also said conditions may cause roofs to shed snow, and urged that people watch for overhead hazards, use care in choosing where to park vehicles and watch out for children and pets.

Areas covered under the backcountry avalanche warning include the mountains around Anchorage, Girdwood, Portage, Turnagain Pass, Lost Lake and Seward.

Farther north, the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center in its forecast Saturday said danger was considerable at upper elevations and moderate at middle elevations.

Snowfall in Anchorage and Mat-Su

A winter weather advisory remained in effect until 9 a.m. Sunday from Anchorage up to the lower Matanuska Valley, including the cities of Eagle River, Palmer and Wasilla.

The National Weather Service said total accumulations of 4 to 8 inches of snow were possible, with localized areas potentially receiving up to a foot of snow.

The snowfall was expected to peak Saturday evening before tapering off Sunday morning, the weather service said.

A 500-plus-pound bear living underneath a residence in Southern California has departed the space it called home for months, according to the nonprofit that helped evict the large mammal.

BEAR League announced in a Facebook post on Jan. 8 that it helped remove the bear from Kenneth Johnson’s home after he reached out to the nonprofit. Johnson previously told the Los Angeles Times and KTLA that he found signs of something living under his home as early as April 2025, but he didn’t know what it was for sure until November, when a security camera caught the bear sneaking into a crawl space.

At an estimated weight of 500-plus pounds, the bear “barely fit into the crawlspace and caused extensive damage to the home’s heating ducts,” according to BEAR League. Concerned over a possibly damaged gas line, Johnson shut off his gas service just before Christmas, the nonprofit said.

BEAR League said it stepped in to evict the bear after earlier removal attempts by state wildlife officials were unsuccessful. Two first responders with the nonprofit traveled to Johnson’s home, where one of them crawled beneath the residence — “fully aware the bear was still there” — to get behind the animal and “encourage him to exit through the crawlspace opening,” according to Lake Tahoe-based the nonprofit.

The nonprofit also said it loaned Johnson electric unwelcome mats, which shock bears when they step on them, to give him time to make repairs and secure the crawlspace to prevent future visits.

“If you live in bear country, securing your crawlspace is essential. This time of year, BEAR League evicts multiple bears from under homes every day,” BEAR League said.

Kenneth Johnson creates GoFundMe to help with repairs

At the bottom of BEAR League’s social media post, the nonprofit linked to Johnson’s GoFundMe page, which he created to help cover repair costs.

According to Johnson’s fundraiser page, the 500-plus-pound bear dwelled underneath his home in Altadena for over a month, causing “tens of thousands of dollars in damage.”

“I’m in a situation I never imagined,” Johnson wrote on the fundraising page.

Johnson further explained his current employment situation, saying that right after surviving the Eaton fire in early January 2025, he lost his job, and shortly after that, the “bear began tearing into the structure of (his) home.”

“I have video footage of it twisting gas pipes, which created an extremely dangerous situation and forced me to shut off my utilities just to stay safe,” he continued.

The funds would also go toward making Johnson’s home “safe and livable again,” which includes paying for professional traps. As of Jan. 10, the GoFundMe has raised over $8,000; however, its goal is $13,000.

Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.