At the upper elevations dense new snow and strong winds will be increasing the avalanche hazard as the day evolves. Westerly winds will create areas of blowing snow and begin to form dense wind slabs on leeward aspects. These slabs could become a hazard to hunters and backcountry travelers who venture onto very steep avalanche prone slopes. Avalanches are unlikely in areas where the recent now snow lies upon bare ground. Small pockets of wind slab could be triggered in areas where new snow has accumulated on a buried layer of hard crust comprised of snow that fell in early October and in steep areas with permanent snowfields and glaciers. Snow depths are generally less than six inches deep below an elevation of 9,000 feet and not considered to be capable of producing avalanche hazards at this time.
At the upper elevations strong westerly winds will begin to create small pockets of dense wind slab 6 to 18 inches in depth. On very steep northerly aspects above an elevation of 9,000 feet some potential may develop for humans to triggers these slabs on hard old snow surfaces. Small avalanches pose a threat above bare rocky slopes, cliff areas and terrain traps.
Periods of snowfall will continue overnight with 2 to 4 inches of new snow in the mountains by Saturday morning. During the day on Saturday, a brief drying trend will commence. Overnight lows in the mountains will be near 20 before rising into the mid-20s during the day. Ridgetop winds will veer to the west-northwest and increase to 35 to 45 miles per hour overnight before dropping to 20 to 25 during the day.The general avalanche hazard in the Tetons is expected to be Low on Saturday between 9,000 and 10,500 feet. Skiers and riders might be able to trigger wind slabs 6 to 18 inches deep on very steep, northerly slopes where hard crusts from October provide potential sliding surfaces. While any avalanche activity is likely to be small, these slides have the potential to cause serious harm if they carry people into exposed rocky areas, over cliff bands or into terrain traps. Normal caution is advised. The hazard is likely higher above 10,500 feet, and the snowpack should be evaluated carefully.Snow depths in the Togwotee Pass area are a foot or less in most areas, and a shallower snowpack exists in the Southwest Trails area. Compared to the Tetons, smaller amounts of snow accumulated in October and the resulting sliding surfaces have a smaller extent. In these forecast zones, hunters and backcountry travelers should monitor conditions and avoid very steep terrain if drifts of knee deep snow are found, particularly if October crusts are present.
