Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

The general avalanche hazard is CONSIDERABLE. Dangerous conditions exist. Yesterday explosive tests in the Snake River Range triggered several deep hard slab avalanches four to five feet deep. Soft slabs up to three deep formed during the past week sit upon older hard slabs that lie upon a persistent weak base of faceted snow. Humans who venture onto steep slopes could trigger these soft surface slabs or hard slabs to the ground. The consequences of involvement with one of these slabs are likely to be severe. As the day warms the sensitivity of these slabs to human triggers will increase.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Skies will be mostly clear above areas of morning valley fog. Temperatures overnight will drop into the low teens at elevation and to near zero in the coldest valleys locations. Daytime highs will rise to near 30 degrees. Summit winds will be westerly at 10 to 15 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Moderate in the Togwotee Pass/Continental Divide area and during the early morning hours in the Teton area. It is expected to be CONSIDERABLE in the Greys River/Southwest Trails area and in the Teton area during the afternoon hours. Soft surface slabs one to three feet in depth sit upon older hard slabs that lie upon a weak base of faceted snow above the ground surface. Dangerous full depth slab avalanches could be human triggered on steep slopes. These slabs could be triggered by the weight of a single person on steep rocky slopes with areas of thin snow cover and by snowmobiles in areas with deeper snow depths. The potential for people to trigger these avalanches will increase as the day warms.