Tetons

This morning's strong winds and intense snowfall will be increasing the avalanche hazard. Gusty southwest winds and new snow will be forming soft wind slabs on leeward aspects. Rapid loading will create areas of storm snow instability. Skies and riders who venture onto steep slopes with fresh drifting could trigger pockets of new wind slab up to a foot deep. At the mid and upper elevations skiers and riders could also trigger larger and denser slab avalanches on persistent weak layers of faceted snow that formed in early December and November. At the lower elevations small pockets of wind slab may begin to from and become sensitive to human triggers on isolated terrain features. Monitor conditions and carefully evaluate the snowpack and terrain.

Expect partly to mostly cloudy skies and occasional snow showers as a weak disturbance tracks across the southern portion of the region. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the single digits before rising into the mid-teens in the afternoon. Southwesterly to westerly ridgetop winds will range from 10 to 20 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Moderate above 7,500 feet on Saturday. Be on the lookout for pockets of shallow wind slab in strange places. Skiers and riders still have some potential to trigger persistent slab avalanches up to three feet in depth on faceted snow that developed in November and early December. Evaluate the snowpack often, and take note of how it changes across the landscape. Don’t assume that one snow pit will give you a representative picture of the avalanche hazard. Below 7,500 feet, backcountry travelers might be able to trigger an isolated pocket of shallow slab in very steep terrain.