Tetons

Strong southwesterly to westerly ridgetop winds along with 15 inches of heavy new snow have created dense surface slabs at the mid and upper elevations. These slabs lie upon lighter density snow and strong crusts. Backcountry travelers could trigger these slabs to depths of two feet in steep, wind loaded terrain. On sunlit aspects, any extended periods of sunshine in the afternoon will make these slabs more susceptible to failure and bring about the possibility of wet loose sluffs at all elevations.

A Pacific storm system will start to bring snow to the region tonight through Thursday with accumulations of 9 to 12 inches by Thursday evening. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the upper teens, rising into the mid to upper 20s during the day. Southwesterly ridgetop winds will range from 20 to 30 miles per hour.At the higher elevations, the general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE Thursday morning and rise to CONSIDERABLE during the day as new snow and strong winds form new soft slabs up to 18 inches deep by the end of tomorrow. Backcountry travelers could trigger these slabs in steep, wind loaded terrain. Some chance persists for skiers and riders to release deeper slabs up to three feet that lie on strong crusts and lighter density snow.