Avalanche forecast

Tetons

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Human triggered avalanches will be likely at the upper elevations, especially where wind affected snow overlies buried weak layers and crusts on slopes steeper than 35 degrees. These layers of concern are located within the top meter of the snowpack and are showing the strongest signature on NE through E through SE aspects. Pay attention to signs of instability such as cracking within wind drifted snow and use your shovel to assess buried weak layers. Minimize exposure time on sunlit aspects if the sun pokes through the clouds today.  

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Wind slabs: Soft wind slabs that are 1-2 feet thick will be sensitive to human triggering at the middle and upper elevations. Winds averaged out of the WSW and will veer to the E today. 

    Storm slabs: Soft storm slabs up to 1 foot in depth could be lingering in sheltered terrain at the middle and lower elevations. 

    Dry Loose: Dry loose avalanches could pose a threat in steep terrain. 

    The failure plane for all new snow problems will likely be the most recent crust that was buried on 3/30. Wind pressing from easterlies could help to stiffen slabs on slopes that are normaly sheltered. Up to 7 inches of settlement has occured over the last 24 hrs at the upper elevations in the Tetons. This will improve slab cohesiveness above the 3/20 and 3/30 interfaces. 

    (4/2/2023) Second slab which propagated very far.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    The March 20th interface is buried 50-90 cm down from the surface of the snow and is reacting in the moderate to hard range in stability tests. It is still showing a propensity to propagate a fracture on NE through E through SE aspects. The most recently observed avalanche on this layer was on March 30 on Mt. Taylor on a NE aspect at 10k'. 

    Up to 7 inches of settlement has occured over the last 24 hrs at the upper elevations in the Tetons. This will improve slab cohesiveness above the 3/20 and 3/30 interfaces. 

    (3/30/2023)

    Looking up at avalanche from below after triggering on the ridge. 10,000' NE aspect

Avalanche Discussion

The Tetons have picked up 3-8 inches of snow over the last 24 hrs. Winds on Rendezvous Summit have averaged 15 mph out of the WSW with 361 total miles of wind. The forecast for today is for increasing snow showers and easterly ridgetop winds around 10 mph. 1-2 inches of accumulation is possible with high temperatures on the summits near 20 degrees. The valleys could reach the low 30s. 

Most new snow avalanche problems should fail on the 3/30 interface, but there is still potential for things to step down to the 3/20 layer. Recent avalanche activity has included wind/storm slabs up to size 2 on NE through E through S aspects. 

 

Regions covered