Yesterdays snowfall was accompanied by very strong winds. This has resulted in wind slabs at the mid and high elevations. These slabs will be sensitive and could be triggered by skiers or riders in steep leeward avalanche starting zones where the snow has accumulated. At low elevations, avalanches are unlikely today except for isolated pockets of shallow wind slabs in very steep terrain. Conservative decision making is essential today,
Very strong southwest to west winds have formed new dense slabs at the mid and high elevations. These slabs could have depths to two feet at the high elevations and depths to one foot at the mid elevations.
A weak disturbance will move over the area tonight and bring a chance for isolated mountain snow showers. Cloud cover will then decrease, and skies will be partly to mostly cloudy on Saturday. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the mid-teens before rising into the mid-20s during the day. Valley lows will be around 20 and then rise to near freezing in the afternoon. Southwesterly to westerly ridgetop winds will range from 20 to 35 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Moderate on Saturday. Above 8,000 feet, skiers and riders could trigger dense wind slabs up to 18 inches deep in steep avalanche terrain that has experienced recent wind loading. As the day warms, extended periods of sunshine could makes these slabs more susceptible to failure on sunlit aspects. In the Togwotee Pass area, a small chance remains for backcountry travelers to trigger deep persistent slabs failing on faceted snow in the lower portion of the snowpack.
