Above 8000 feet, slab avalanches involving buried weak layers of faceted snow could be triggered by backcountry skiers and riders today. These slabs will be larger, more sensitive, and more widely distributed at the higher elevations where conditions remain dangerous and cautious terrain choices are recommended. If considering steeper terrain, careful snowpack evaluation is essential. Even slopes with previous tracks could release when a particularly weak and thin spot is impacted by the weight of a single person. At the low elevations, avalanches are not expected except for in isolated pockets in very steep terrain.
Persistent weak layers of faceted snow that formed during the extended dry periods in November and at the end of December remain a real concern. Many avalanches involving these layers have occurred over the last week. Above 8000 feet these slabs could have depths of four to seven feet. At lower elevations, isolated pockets of slab could be triggered with depths of one to two feet.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Moisture will increase overnight and snowfall should be widespread during the early morning hours. Warmer temperatures during the afternoon may slow down or stop the precipitation before a heavier round of snow arrives Tuesday evening. Mountain temperatures are to rise from near twenty degrees in the morning to highs in the upper twenties. Ridgetop winds are to be southwesterly with ten to twenty mile per hour averages. Two to four inches of snow is expected in the next 24 hours. The general avalanche hazard will be Considerable in the higher terrain of the Teton and Southwest trails area and Moderate at the Togwotee Pass area. Dangerous hard slab avalanches could be triggered by a single person hitting a thin, weak spot on a slope. Although deep slabs in the Togwotee pass area are less sensitive and a little smaller, the problem there is the same. If caught by one of these deep slabs anywhere, the consequences are likely to be severe. These slabs could have depths to eight feet in the Teton and Southwest Trails areas and have depths to five feet in the Togwotee Pass area. Below 7500 feet avalanches will be unlikely except for in isolated pockets in very steep terrain.
