Togwotee Pass

Less than 6 inches of light density snow has fallen since Wednesday, and small to large persistent slab avalanches remain the primary concern. In steep, avalanche prone terrain, skiers and riders could still trigger these slabs on a variety of aspects above 7,500 feet. The potential of triggering these slabs varies from slope to slope, and previous tracks should not be taken as a sign of stability. Persistent slab avalanches are more easily triggered by large loads or when a thin spot in the slab is crossed. Today’s warming temperatures and sunshine may increase the sensitivity of these slab avalanches to human triggers. Except for small, isolated pockets on steep terrain features, the snowpack is mostly stable below 7,500 feet, and avalanches are unlikely.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )After a few lingering showers this evening, skies will be mostly sunny on Sunday as a ridge of high pressure starts to move into the region from the west. Overnight lows in the mountains will drop into the single digits before climbing into the mid-20s in the afternoon. Westerly ridgetop winds will back to the southwest at 10 to 20 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to remain Considerable in the Tetons. Skiers and riders have the potential to trigger soft slabs on density breaks within the recent snowfall. The more likely scenario will be slab avalanches up to 4 feet deep failing on surface hoar or near surface facets that were buried at the start of the storm cycle. As the day warms, these slabs could become more susceptible to failure on sunlit aspects. With the load that this storm cycle added to the snowpack, avalanche activity could also occur on faceted layers that developed earlier in the season resulting in very large, destructive slides.In the Togwotee Pass and Southwest Trails forecast zones, Moderate hazard is expected to continue. Large to very large, human-triggered persistent slab avalanches remain the primary concern on a variety of aspects above 7,500 feet. On Togwotee Pass, where less than 6 inches of new snow has accumulated since Wednesday, any avalanche activity will likely fail on faceted snow that formed earlier in the season. Similar persistent slabs will be possible in the Southwest Trails forecast zone along with avalanches just involving the recent snowfall.