Very dangerous avalanche conditions exists and an avalanche warning remains in effect. Nearly two feet of new snow with about two inches of moisture has fallen since Thursday. Winds gusted over 60 miles per hour overnight. The Wyoming Department of Transportation used a GazEx unit to trigger a very large slab avalanche in Glory Bowl that ran across the highway on Teton Pass last night. Todays avalanches are expected to be significantly larger and run farther then those that occurred during the previous two days. With continued snowfall and strong winds in the forecast travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.
Winds slabs two to four feet in depth are likely to release naturally and are very likely to be human triggered on a variety of aspects. These slides could run long distances.
Dangerous persistent slabs lie upon faceted snow and are likely to release naturally today. These very large slabs could have depths of three to six feet and are likely to be triggered by humans or from the release of an overlying wind slab.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Periods of heavy snowfall and very strong west to southwest winds with gusts over 60 miles per hour are expected overnight. New snow accumulations of six to nine inches are possible in the mountains by daybreak. Morning temperatures will drop to near ten degrees at the higher elevations and into the 20s in the valleys. On Sunday skies will be cloudy with continued snowfall and daytime accumulations of two to four inches. Winds will be westerly at 30 to 40 miles per hour with higher gusts especially during the morning hours.An avalanche warning remains in effect for the mountainous regions of western Wyoming. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be HIGH. The new snow and strong winds will combine to create dangerous avalanche conditions. Wind slabs up to three feet in depth are very likely to be triggered by humans in steep wind loaded avalanche paths and natural avalanche activity is likely. Deeper persistent slabs three to five feet in depth could also be human triggered or release naturally. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.
