A large hard slab avalanche was remotely triggered by snowmobilers on Saturday near Mt. McDougal. These dangerous slab could be human triggered in areas with poor snowpack structure. Soft surface slabs with depths to two feet could also be human triggered on steep slopes and could step down and trigger deep hard slabs.
Dangerous hard slab avalanches with depths of four to eight feet could be human triggered in areas where weak faceted snow persists near the base of the snowpack. These killer slabs could be triggered on slopes that have been crossed multiple times
Dense winds slabs up to two feet in depth could be human triggered on steep wind loaded slopes. These surface slabs could step down and trigger deep hard slabs.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Colder air will move into the area overnight. Snow levels will fall to the valley level by morning. A slow clearing trend will occur on Tuesday with additional but diminishing mountain snowfall. Skies should begin to clear later in the day. Temperatures in the mountains will drop into the teens overnight and rise into the 20s during the day. Valleys temperatures should drop below freezing overnight and rise into the low to mid 30s during the day. West winds will veer to the northeast. Winds speeds of 25 to 35 with higher gusts will accompany the snowfall. On Tuesday new wind slabs that formed overnight are likely to be easily triggered by humans on steep wind loaded slopes and could attain depths of one to two feet. In areas with poor snowpack structure the potential for humans to trigger dangerous deep hard slabs will continue to be a concern. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be CONSIDERABLE in areas with poor snowpack structure (Greys River/Southwest Trails and Togwotee Pass/Continental Divide Areas) and MODERATE in locations where the threat of deep instabilities is limited to isolated areas.
