Tetons

A cold front that passed over the area early yesterday morning has kept temperatures at the higher elevations in the upper teens and 20s. Pockets of dense wind slab up to 18 inches in depth exist at the upper elevations. These wind slabs could be triggered by humans who venture into very steep couloirs, cliff areas and beneath cornices. As the day warms the snowpack at the mid elevations and at the lower elevations with deep snow will soften and become unstable. Wet slides are possible on very steep slopes. In late May the sun is intense. Brief periods of direct sunlight will rapidly warm snow surfaces and very quickly create unstable conditions. Periods of sunshine at the upper elevations could initiate wet loose slides in steep terrain. This forecast does not extend to terrain above an elevation of 10,500 feet. Weekly snowpack summaries are posted on our website at http://www.jhavalanche.org/summaries.php. This weeks summary will be posted later this morning.