Strong winds and new snow continue to increase the hazard at the mid and upper elevations. Recent new snow has favored the higher elevations and the west slope of the Teton Range. Dangerous avalanche conditions exist at the upper elevations. Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully and make cautious terrain choices. Avalanches are unlikely at the lower elevations except in isolated pockets.
Dense wind slabs formed by west to southwest winds could be triggered by the weight of a single person. These slabs could be up to two feet deep and are likely to be larger and more widely distributed at the upper elevations.
The relentless succession of storm cycles that began in early October continues. This cycle started cold and is getting warmer. Snow fall increased this afternoon and will continue through the night and into the morning before decreasing some in the afternoon. New snow accumulations will generally range from 5 to 10 inches with locally higher amounts in the Teton Range. Winds will be southwesterly at 25 to 35 with gusts 50 miles per hour. Temperatures will rise into the mid-20s at 10,000 feet and into the mid-30s in the valleys.Increasing temperatures, strong winds and additional snowfall will create dangerous avalanche conditions. Large slab avalanches are expected. Unstable slopes could release naturally. The general avalanche hazard will increase to CONSIDRABLE at the mid and upper elevations. Areas that have been most favored by the recent snowfall could rise to HIGH. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended during periods of high hazard. So far only small amounts of new snow have accumulated at the lower elevations and therefor the hazard there has been LOW.
