Avalanche forecast

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
No rating
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Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

This week, persistent layers of crusts and facets buried one to three feet deep have resulted in avalanches. Today, it will be possible for the weight of a person to trigger a large slide. These slides are located above 8,000 feet on East, North, and West facing aspects. Above freezing temperatures along with strong solar radiation will increase the likelihood of triggering a slab avalanche and result in wet loose slides during the warmest portions of the day. Below 8,000 feet, the hazard will remain Low and avalanche activity is expected to be small wet loose slides isolated to steep terrain. Heightened avalanche conditions exist in the mountains, and backcountry travelers should evaluate the snowpack and identify areas of concern.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Persistent weak layers can be tricky to predict and may not show any warning signs until it is too late. Since March 5, there has been 20 to 25 inches of snow with close to two inches of water that has formed into variable slabs throughout the mountains. These slabs range from soft to hard with the denser slabs at the upper elevations on wind-loaded slopes. Persistent avalanches can also be triggered from below the slope, so it is advised to stay out from under avalanche terrain today.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    Warming temperatures and strong solar radiation will destabilize snow surfaces and cause wet loose avalanches on solar aspects. At the lower elevations and in areas with a shallow snowpack, these slides could gouge down to the ground and entrain wet snow that lacks cohesion. The warming temperatures will also increase the chances of triggering a slab avalanche. Backcountry travelers should avoid slopes as they become wet.

Avalanche Discussion

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Skies will be partly cloudy in the morning and increase to mostly cloudy in the afternoon ahead of an approaching weather system. Temperatures will start in the teens in the mountains and twenties in the valleys and then warm to the forties up to 8,000 feet and thirties at 10,000 feet. Southwesterly ridgetop winds are expected to be 10 to 20 miles per hour and increase into the twenties in the afternoon.The avalanche hazard is expected to be Moderate above 8,000 feet in all three forecast areas. It will be possible for the weight of a single person to trigger a small to large avalanche on steep terrain. Although these persistent weak layers are present in all the forecast areas, their depth and distribution vary greatly. It is also difficult to know the exact location of these layers due to the large amount of spatial variability. The avalanche activity seems to be occurring in areas that had a shallow snowpack prior to the March 5 snowfall. Tomorrow, sunny skies and warm temperatures will increase the likelihood of triggering these large avalanches as well as result in small wet loose slides. Heightened avalanche conditions exist and backcountry travelers should evaluate the snowpack and identify areas of concern.

Regions covered