Tetons

At the upper elevations pockets of new, very soft slab formed overnight by southwest winds and older wind slabs formed by west to northwest winds lie upon hard dense slabs that sit upon deeply buried crusts. Humans who venture onto very steep wind loaded slopes or into cliff areas could trigger surface slabs up to two feet in depth. Larger triggers, such as snowmachines or cornice drops, may also be able to trigger hard slabs up to four feet deep in the starting zones of active avalanche paths. At the mid and lower elevations the snowpack is mostly stable and avalanches are unlikely except in cliff areas or in extreme terrain.

Snowfall will increase Saturday night into Sunday morning with 5 to 10 inches of new snow before the system exits the region late Sunday. Winds at 10,500 feet will be 15 to 20 miles per hour from the west to northwest. Mountain temperatures will be near 10 degrees Sunday morning then warm to the mid teens.The general avalanche hazard is expected to increase some but remain in the Moderate area from 8,500 feet to 10,500 feet. Areas with locally heavier snowfall and/or stronger winds could have an increased hazard due to developing soft surface slabs. There remains a chance of triggering deeper, older slabs to two feet in depth. These deeper slabs may be more difficult to trigger. Starting deeper avalanches may require groups on a slope or high marking attempts on a snow machine.