Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

The general avalanche hazard is MODERATE. Warm temperatures and rain have created unstable conditions on steep, snow covered slopes. Wet slides are possible on steep slopes and could entrain significant volumes of snow. Buried layers of surface hoar and depth hoar exist in the snowpack. In steep terrain humans could trigger wet slab avalanches up to three feet in depth on these persistent weak layers.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )A large Pacific trough with a strong south-southwest flow aloft will drift east into the region. Locally heavy snow showers above an elevation of 8,000 feet and mainly rain below that elevation are likely overnight and into the day on Sunday. Thunderstorms are a possibility. By Sunday evening some of the highest areas could receive up to ten inches of new snow while some valleys locations could receive up to a half inch of rain. Colder air will begin to move in and drop the snowline to the valley floor by Monday morning. Temperatures will be in the 20s and 30s in the mountains and in the 30s in the valleys. Winds will be southerly at 15 to 25 miles per hour. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE. Wet slides are possible on steep snow covered slopes below an elevation of 7,500 feet. The potential for wet slides to occur could rapidly increase in areas that receive heavy rainfall. At the higher elevation new soft slabs up to a foot deep could form on leeward aspects and may be sensitive to human triggers in very steep avalanche starting zones and cliff areas. In areas where weak faceted snow persist in the snowpack some potential may exist for humans to triggerd slab avalanches up to three feet in depth.