New snow and west winds have formed shallow surface slabs in the backcountry. These slabs and sluffs could be triggered in steep avalanche terrain. Larger concern lies with older slabs that rest upon a persistent weak layer of faceted snow in steep avalanche prone terrain with depths to three feet. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully.
The chance continues to trigger dangerous slab avalanches on steep slopes. These slabs could be triggered by the first person on a slope or after a slope has been tracked.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Snow that is to increase during Wednesday evening is to taper off in the early morning on Thursday. Periods of light snow are possible during the day on Thursday with snowfall favoring the southern areas of the forecast region. Mountain temperatures are to rise from the low teens in the morning to the mid twenties in the afternoon. West-southwest winds will be strongest during the snowfall with over twenty mile per hour averages. During daylight hours winds speeds between five and ten miles per hour are expected.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Moderate on Thursday, although the hazard could increase to Considerable if more than anticipated snowfall occurs. Skiers and riders could trigger new soft slabs to a foot in depth as well as existing slabs. In the Tetons these slabs could be soft with two foot depths while in the other forecast areas these slabs could be hard with depths to three feet.
