Tetons

Fifteen inches of light-density snow from the weekend rests on slick sun crusts on southern exposures and old loose snow on northerly aspects. Backcountry travelers can expect to release sloughs in steep areas. Winds overnight have created easily triggered pockets of soft slabs on steep, lee slopes at upper elevations. Avalanches could entrain larger amounts of snow resulting in dangerous debris volumes or possibly pull out deeper, hard slabs. At low elevations the snow is mostly stable but avoid ravines and terrain traps where sloughs could pile up deep snow.

After inversion conditions hold through the night, clouds are expected to increase during the afternoon in front of a weak low pressure system. Mountain temperatures are to rise from the single digits to the mid teens. Light Southerly winds are expected.The General Avalanche Hazard in the Tetons is expected to be Moderate at the high elevations and Low at the mid and low elevations. Wind formed surface slabs could be human triggered at the high elevations in very steep wind loaded terrain. A remote possibility also exists to trigger deeper hard slabs at the mid and high elevations in steep terrain in and above cliff areas. At low elevations isolated pockets of slab exist in steep avalanche paths prone to wind loading.In the Togwotee Pass area the hazard is expected to be Moderate where a chance exists to trigger pockets of shallow wind loaded surface slabs as well deeper hard slabs that lie on weak snow in steep terrain.In the Southwest trails area a weaker snow pack underlies surface slabs in avalanche terrain and the hazard is expected to remain Considerable. Human triggered, large, destructive avalanches remain possible in steep terrain.