Riders and skiers could trigger wind slabs in steep avalanche terrain at the mid and high elevations today. Some potential also persists to trigger large, dangerous hard slabs. The likelihood to trigger either of these events will increase as sunlight and warming weaken the snowpack. Avalanches are unlikely at low elevations today except for small wet slides that may become possible at all elevation.
Recently formed soft slabs and hard slabs to two foot depths lie in steep wind loaded terrain. These slabs could be human triggered today and have some potential to step down and trigger a very dangerous deep hard slab in isolated areas. The chance of triggering these surface slabs will increase today.
Some potential may remain to trigger dangerous hard slabs with depths to eight feet in isolated areas. Predicting failure on these layers is extremely difficult and could occur after a slope has been tracked several times. Larger loads such as snowmobiles or groups of skiers may be required to cause failure of these old weaknesses.
Skies are forecast to be clear overnight and into the morning hours. Increasing clouds are expected later in the day ahead of a storm system that will track to our north. Temperatures will drop into the teens overnight and rise into the 30s and 40s during the day. Winds will be westerly at 10 miles per hour.Soft surface slabs up to two feet in depth could be human triggered on steep wind loaded aspects at the higher elevations in all of our forecast areas. Deep hard slab avalanches that could be human triggered with depths of five to eight feet continue to be a concern in the Togwotee Pass/Continental Divide area and to a lesser extend in the Southwest Trails/Greys River area and to an even lesser extent in the Teton Area. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE in the Teton area and CONSIDERABLE in the Greys River and Togwotee Pass areas.
