Southwest to northwest winds have created pockets of soft slab. These slabs, which lie upon firm old snow surfaces, could be triggered by backcountry travelers to depths of one foot.
Weak layers of faceted snow are preserved in the snowpack. At the upper elevations, hard slab avalanches with depths to three feet could be triggered by snowmobilers on steep, avalanche-prone slopes.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Skies will clear overnight, and temperature inversions will develop as high pressure moves into the area from the west. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the single digits before rebounding to near 30 during the day. Northwesterly ridgetop winds will range from 5 to 15 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE Saturday morning. In the Tetons and Greys River areas, daytime warming will increase the hazard to CONSIDERABLE in the afternoon as the chance rises to trigger recently formed wind slabs with depths up to 30 inches. The chance for wet, loose sluffs will also increase as the day warms on sunlit aspects.In the Togwotee Pass forecast zone, where less snow fell in the past week, the chance to trigger smaller wind slabs and wet, loose sluffs will also increase during the day. A slight chance remains to trigger deep, hard slabs failing on faceted snow that persists in the lower portion of the snowpack. There, the general avalanche hazard is expected to remain MODERATE throughout the day.
