Tetons

Inverted temperatures remain in place with the mountains around 10 to 15 degrees warmer than the valleys. With below freezing temperatures overnight, the snowpack is mostly stable this morning. At the mid and upper elevations, skiers and riders might be able to trigger an isolated pocket of slab up to two feet deep on very steep terrain features. As the day warms, these slabs will become more susceptible to failure, and shallow wet slides will become possible on steep, sunlit aspects. Valley temperatures are forecasted to rise to near 40 degrees, and small wet slides could also occur at the lower elevations on steep, sunlit slopes in the afternoon. Monitor warming temperatures and the sun’s impact on snow surfaces, and transition to shaded terrain when snow surfaces start to become damp.

A fast-moving cold front will bring gusty northwest winds and 3 to 6 inches of snow to the higher elevations overnight. Convective snow showers and snow banding could bring higher snowfall totals to isolated areas. Skies will slowly clear out on Monday as snow shower activity diminishes. Temperatures will fall into the single digits by daybreak. During the day they will rise into the single digits in the mountains and into the 20’s in the valleys.At the upper elevations the new snow and strong winds will begin to form small pockets of new wind slab on leeward aspects. A human who triggers one of these fresh slabs in very steep terrain could get knocked over and carried down a steep chute or over a cliff band. In the Teton Range these new soft slabs will be forming on a snowpack that is mostly stable. The general avalanche hazard there is expected to be low. Watch out for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. In the Togwotee Pass and Greys River areas the general avalanche hazard is expected to be moderate above an elevation of 8,500 feet and low below that elevation. At the higher elevations in those areas some potential may remain for snowmachines to trigger large slab avalanches on steep active avalanche prone slopes.