Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

The general avalanche hazard is moderate above an elevation of 9,000 feet and low below that elevation. Colder temperatures after the passage of a cold front will decrease the wet snow avalanche hazard. At the higher elevations in areas where the snow surface remains dry this morning's strong winds will erode those snow surfaces and redistribute that eroded snow. Snowfall rates of an inch per hour are possible for a brief period and may create whiteout conditions. Assess the situation carefully. At the higher elevations and in isolated areas at the mid elevations small pockets of hard wind slab may be found on some steep slopes and new pockets of soft wind slab may form during the period of intense snowfall associated with the passage of this cold front.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )A strong cold front will blast through western Wyoming tomorrow morning. This system could bring 2 to 5 inches of new snow to the mountains tomorrow morning. It will be accompanied by wind gusts that could exceed 60 miles per hour. The combination of strong winds and a relatively short period of intense snowfall may create white out conditions. Temperatures at elevation will be in the teens during the day and drop to near zero by Tuesday morning. At the lower elevations, temperatures will remain in the 20s during the day and drop into the single digits overnight.The cold temperatures will mitigate the wet snow avalanche hazard. A period of intense snowfall and strong winds may form some new shallow wind slabs at the higher elevations. These new slabs are expected to be small and less than a foot deep. Pockets of older wind slabs can also be found in some areas at the highest elevations. On Monday the general avalanche hazard is expected to be low below an elevation of 9,000 feet and may be moderate at the higher elevations during passage of the cold front when snowfall rates exceed an inch an hour.