At the mid and upper elevations, recently formed wind slabs could be triggered by backcountry travels in steep, avalanche prone terrain that has experienced recent wind loading. As the day warms, any extended periods of sunshine could make these slabs more susceptible to failure on sunlit aspects. Cautious route finding and careful evaluation of the snowpack will be essential for safe travel in avalanche terrain today. At low elevations, avalanches are unlikely and the chance for activity is restricted to isolated pockets in very steep terrain.
Over the last several days, ridgetop winds from the southwest through the northwest to northeast have redistributed snowfall and formed wind slabs on a variety of leeward aspects at the mid and upper elevations. Skiers and riders venturing into steep, wind-loaded terrain could trigger these slabs with depths to two feet deep.
The chance for light, scattered flurries will persist overnight before high pressure begins to build into the area during the day. Cloud cover will decrease by mid-morning, and partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies will prevail as the day progresses. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the mid-teens before rising into the mid-20s in the afternoon. Strong southwesterly to westerly ridgetop winds at 25 to 35 miles per hour will continue overnight before veering to the northwest and decreasing to 15 to 25 miles per hour during the day.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Moderate on Sunday. In the higher elevations, skiers and riders venturing into steep, wind-loaded terrain could trigger wind slabs up to two feet deep. Isolated pockets of surface slab might also be triggered in the lower elevations. As the day warms, sunshine could increase the likelihood of triggering these slabs on sunlit aspects. Old, persistent weaknesses exist in the snowpack. Activity involving these layers is most likely to occur in the Togwotee Pass area where the snowpack is shallow, and the structure is poor. There, large slides could be triggered by the weight of a single skier or rider. In the Tetons and Greys River forecast zone, failure of these deep layers is not expected.
