Avalanche forecast

Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 10 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Strong winds and increasing temperatures are causing slab development on the snow surface and changing the characteristics of the snowpack. Increasing snowfall rates will combine with these elements to raise the avalanche hazard and create dangerous conditions. On northwest through north to northeast aspects above an elevation of 9,000 feet wind and new snow will increase the load on a persistent weak layer. The likelihood for human and naturally triggered avalanches will increase as the day progresses. Concurrently these conditions will be creating surface slabs at the mid and upper elevations that could be human triggered in steep wind loaded avalanche prone terrain. Due to low snow depths avalanches are unlikely below an elevation of 7,500 feet.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    Strong west and southwest winds and increasing snowfall rates will load avalanche starting zones. The likelihood for human or naturally released slab avalanches to occur with depths to three feet will increase as the day progresses. Although these slabs could be triggered by the weight of a single person or release naturally multiple tracks on a suspect slope should not be considered to be an indication of stability.

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    New winds slabs formed by west and southwest winds will gain depth and volume as the day progresses. These slabs could be human triggered with depths to 18 inches later in the day. These slabs could fail on buried density differences, areas of buried sun crust, buried layers of surface hoar and buried layers of faceted snow.

Avalanche Discussion

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Snow and wind will continue overnight and increase during the day and into the evening. Accumulations of 6 to 12 inches are expected during the next 24 hours. Temperatures will rise into the teens and 20s. Winds will back from the west to the southwest and increase to 25 with gusts to 35 miles per hour.Strong wind, moderate to heavy snowfall and rising temperatures will raise the avalanche hazard at the upper elevations (9,000 to 10,500 feet) in all areas to CONSIDERABLE by morning. The hazard at those elevations will continue to rise during the day and it is expected to increase to HIGH during the afternoon or on Sunday evening. Large dangerous avalanches with slabs depths of two to four feet are likely and could become widespread on east through north to west facing terrain. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended during periods of high avalanche hazard. At the mid elevations (7,500 to 9,000 feet) the hazard will increase to MODERATE. Pockets of new wind slab up to two feet in depth could be human triggered on steep slopes. These building surface slabs could release on density breaks, areas of sun crust or buried layers of faceted snow. Due to the low snow depths avalanches at the lower elevations are unlikely except in isolated terrain features.

Regions covered