Tetons

New snow and strong winds ending Tuesday created sensitive slabs to four feet in depth on lee slopes at upper elevations. Snow control on previously uncontrolled slopes at the Jackson Hole Resort yesterday caused many large slides with crown depths from 14 inches to five feet. Many of the slides were started with explosives but one of the largest released on approach. The slides were above 8900 feet in steep Northerly to Easterly aspects and ran on the weak layer created by the Thanksgiving clear period. Similar events are possible today but may require a larger trigger. Below 7,800 feet slopes lack sufficient snow depths for avalanches.

Snow is to continue into Thursday, potentially providing more than five additional inches of snow in the mountains. Temperatures are to rise to the upper teens after cooling to the lower teens by morning. West winds are to reduce to 20-25 mph during the day after blowing 25-35 mph during the night. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE. Human triggered avalanches will be possible in steep avalanche terrain in the form of easily triggered new shallow soft slabs or potentially in the form of hard slabs to four feet in depth. Caution is advised as the triggering of these hard slabs will be hard to predict and likely require larger loads or hitting a particularly weak point on a wind loaded slope.