Serious avalanche accidents are possible today. Yesterday a skier was caught and carried but not injured on a lower angle slope known as Olive Oyl in Grand Teton National Park. Once triggered, a slab avalanche stepped down to a weak persistent layer that formed in December. The concensus of the of the group involved in this event was that this slope would not slide. Similar events are likely today. Up to 2 inches of moisture has been loaded onto the snowpack in the past 24 hours. At the mid and upper elevations dangerous deep slab avalanches are likely and could be triggered by the weight of a person or by the release of a surface slab. Wet slides could be a potential hazard on isolated terrain features at the lower elevations.
Dangerous persistent deep slabs up to five feet in depth could be human triggered or release naturally on a variety on aspects at the mid and upper elevations. These slabs could fail due to the weight of a snowmobile or a single person who encounters a shallow weak zone. These slabs could propagate and run long distances and are likely to carry severe consequences to anyone involved.
Strong westerly winds have loaded leeward slopes. Dense wind slabs up to two feet in depth could be human triggered and once triggered could step down and become a dangerous deep slab avalanche.
A northwest flow will continue to bring periods of light snowfall and convective snow showers to western Wyoming. Skies will be mostly to partly cloudy. Most locations could receive a few inches of new snow overnight and during the day on Tuesday. Temperatures will be in the teens and 20s in the mountains. Winds will be westerly at 10 to 20 miles per hour.Large to very large deep slab avalanches with depths to six feet could be triggered by skier or riders in major avalanche paths. Dense wind slabs up to two feet in depth could also be triggered by riders and skiers who venture into steep avalanche starting zones and in steep chutes and couloirs. The general avalanche hazard is expect to be CONSIDERABLE due to the potential for backcountry users to be involved with very large slides. Avalanches are unlikely below an elevation of 7,500 feet.
