At the upper elevations, a small chance continues for backcountry travelers to trigger isolated pockets of shallow wind slab in very steep, avalanche-prone terrain. These lingering instabilities are most likely to be found in very steep couloirs or cliff areas where even small slides can have severe consequences. Watch for unstable snow in these isolated terrain features. Avalanches are unlikely at the mid and lower elevations. As the day warms, very small wet slides could become possible on sunlit slopes in the afternoon if mostly clear skies persist.
Skiers and riders might be able to trigger an isolated pocket of wind slab up a foot deep in very steep terrain above 9,000 feet. If mostly clear skies continue into the afternoon, the likelihood of triggering these slides could increase on sunlit slopes.
A Pacific low pressure system will bring new snow to the area after midnight. In the mountains, snowfall intensity will increase during the day as moist, westerly flow develops. A mix of rain and snow will be possible in the valleys in the afternoon. Overnight lows in the higher elevations will be in the low 20s before increasing to near 30 during the day. Westerly ridgetop winds will back to the southwest at 15 to 25 miles per hour.In the Tetons, the general avalanche hazard is expected to be LOW Sunday morning. As the day progresses, moderate to heavy snowfall will combine with strong ridgetop winds to build new soft slabs in leeward terrain, and the hazard will increase.In the Southwest Trails and Togwotee Pass forecast zones, similar new slabs will build. In addition, deep instabilities persist, and the hazard will remain MODERATE. Although failure of these deep weak layers is unlikely in most areas, there remains a slight chance to trigger deep hard slabs on steep, avalanche-prone slopes above 9,000 feet that have not seen significant traffic this season.
