Loose snow sluffs and soft surface slabs with depths to two feet could be triggered today at the mid and high elevations. Older weak snow layers that lie within the snowpack could also be triggered after initiation of the surface snow or potentially by a single person. These older hard slabs will be most susceptible to larger triggers such as snow machines or groups of skiers. At low elevations, isolated pockets of slab could be triggered and areas with terrain consequences should be avoided.
West winds and up to twenty inches of new snow since Wednesday morning have formed surface slabs on leeward aspects. These slabs could have depths to two feet and will be most sensitive at higher elevations where they lie upon a variety of snow surfaces including sun and wind crusts.
Weak layers in the snowpack persist. Avalanches remain possible involving these buried weaknesses. If triggered by moving surface snow or by a person they will release as hard slabs and have the potential to be very large at higher elevations.
Moisture embedded in the cold front will bring snow through Saturday. Four to six inches of light density snow could fall in some areas. Temperatures are to remain in the single digits and winds are to be from the west-northwest with fifteen to twenty mile per hour averages.The general avalanche hazard will be Moderate in the Tetons and Considerable in the Togwotee Pass and Southwest Trails areas. Wind formed slabs in high exposed terrain remain susceptible to human triggers on leeward slopes. In all regions and elevations persistent weaknesses are prevalent in the snowpack. Failure of these layers could occur in the middle layers of the snowpack or in many areas where the snowpack is generally shallow, failure could occur to the ground.
