Tetons

At the mid and upper elevations, the avalanche hazard will rise during the day as new snow and winds form new soft slabs and add weight to existing surface slabs. Backcountry travelers could trigger these slabs to depths of one to four feet in steep, wind loaded terrain. Yesterday, avalanche hazard reduction work at the Grand Targhee Resort yielded two very large hard slab avalanches going to the ground on north facing slopes off of Peaked Ridge. While similar slides are unlikely today, these events are good reminders that early season weak layers persist in some locations. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route finding, and conservative decision making will all be essential for safe travel in avalanche terrain today. Any extended periods of rain at the lower elevations will bring the possibility of shallow wet slides.

The strong Pacific storm system to the southwest will move into Southern and Western Wyoming overnight and into Tuesday. Ample moisture and unstable convective cells will bring periods of moderate to heavy snowfall through tomorrow with storm totals of 10 to 18 inches in the mountains. Westerly winds will also increase during this period with hourly averages of 25 to 35 miles per hour. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the mid to upper teens, rising into the low 20s on Tuesday.The General Avalanche Hazard is expected to be CONSIDERABLE on Tuesday morning and could increase to HIGH in the afternoon if forecasted snowfall and strong winds materialize. New soft slabs, up to two feet in depth, could quickly build by Tuesday afternoon. In steep, wind loaded terrain these slabs could release naturally or be easily triggered by backcountry travelers. Some potential persists for failure of deeper hard slabs up to four feet. Backcountry travelers need to monitor conditions and refrain from traveling in avalanche terrain if significant snowfall and drifting conditions prevail.