Last nights new snow and winds have created new soft slabs that will be sensitive to human triggers at the mid and upper elevations. Some potential may remain for dangerous deep persistent slabs to be human triggered in isolated areas. Avalanches are unlikely at the lower elevations except for isolated pockets of shallow wind slab.
At the mid and upper elevations new soft slabs up to two feet in depth were formed overnight by west to northwest winds. These slabs could be human triggered today on steep slopes and have some potential to step down another foot or two to older wind slabs or trigger a very dangerous deep hard slab in isolated areas.
Some potential may remain for humans, especially those on snowmobiles, to trigger dangerous hard slabs with depths to eight feet in isolated areas. The trigger point is likely to be an area of shallow snow, perhaps a rocky area, where the slab failure can be initiated and propagate along a deeply buried layer of weak faceted snow that lies upon a crust near the base of the snowpack. These dangerous slabs could be triggered on slopes that have been crossed multiple times by other riders or skiers.
High pressure will move in and dominate the region for the next several days. Clear skies and light northwest winds are expected on Wednesday. Mountain temperatures are to rise from morning lows near ten degrees to highs near thirty. Similar lows with highs in the forties are expected in the valleys. In the Tetons, the general avalanche hazard will be Moderate in the morning and could rise to Considerable as warming and sunlight cause recently formed slabs and older slabs to weaken and become more susceptible to human triggers. Some potential remains for slabs to reach as much as eight feet in depth. In the Togwotee pass area and Southwest Trails areas the hazard will be Considerable where the chance to trigger deep persistent layers is greater. The hazard will increase in the afternoon in these areas as well.
