Tetons

Drifted new snow overnight has added to the load on steep slopes at upper elevations. People or sunshine could trigger new, soft, surface slabs to 10 inches in depth or sloughs that could pull out deeper slabs two to three feet in depth. In isolated areas, particularly steep slopes under cornices or cliff bands, slabs to six feet in depth could be human triggered. Saturday a large, deep slab avalanche, started by a cornice drop, released outside the Targhee resort on the backside of Mary's Nipple. At mid elevations pockets of surface slab to two feet in depth could be triggered in steep, wind loaded starting zones. Avalanches are unlikely at low elevations except in isolated pockets.

A weak Pacific trough will bring light snow overnight into Tuesday with three to five inches of accumulation by Tuesday night. Mountain temperatures will start in the mid teens Tuesday morning then warm into the mid 20s. Winds will be northwesterly at 15 miles per hour. The avalanche hazard will be Moderate. The snowpack has settled and is adjusting to last week's heavy accumulations. At upper elevations backcountry travelers could trigger slabs to two feet in depth on steep slopes, particularly those that steepen above or below cliff bands or under cornice lines with good wind deposits. Deeper slabs, to six feet in depth, could be triggered in isolated, very steep areas with deep drifting. Sunday two snowmobilers just missed being caught in a slide in the Kettle Creek drainage southwest of Togwotee Pass. The people were working to free a stuck machine on a very steep, wind loaded, south facing slope when it broke above them about three feet deep. The debris passed just to the side of them into an area where they had just been spending time. Similar events should be expected with large triggers throughout the region.