Tetons

A generally stable early season snow pack exists at the mid and upper elevations. On very steep North facing terrain the chance continues to trigger isolated pockets of surface slabs to 18" in wind loaded areas where preserved faceted snow lies under recent snow. Wednesday, a slide was triggered in the chicken scratch chutes near Teton Pass. Low elevations are not snow covered.

A long fetch of moisture is forecasted to begin to impact the region late on Saturday night, bringing 4 to 6 inches of new snow by Sunday evening. Mountain temperatures are expected to remain in the upper 20s before rising into the low 30s during the day on Sunday. The valley should remain above freezing overnight, and then climb into the 40s tomorrow. Ridgetop winds are projected to veer to the west and remain in the mid 20s to mid 30s with gusts into the 40s.The General Avalanche Hazard is MODERATE on shaded, upper-elevation starting zones and will continue to increase as weight is added to the existing, faceted weak layer, which is now 18 to 30 inches below the surface. Serious consequences will result if backcountry travelers trigger this buried weak layer. Pockets of new soft slab up to 1 foot could also be human triggered along ridgelines in upper elevations starting zones. Avalanches are unlikely below 8,500 feet.