Tetons

At the mid and upper elevations there are some shallow pockets of wind slab up to a foot deep in isolated areas and hard slabs up to five feet in depth. The potential for a person to trigger one of these hard slabs persists, especially with larger triggers such as snowmobiles. These hard slabs may be crossed multiple times before a weak spot is crossed and the slab fails. Therefor existing tracks should not be viewed as an indication of stability. A careful assessment of the snowpack and conservative terrain choices are essential as the consequences of triggering a deep hard slab could be fatal. Avalanches are unlikely at the lower elevations except in isolated pockets.

A cool northeast flow aloft will be over the western mountains and valleys of Wyoming tonight through Saturday. Light snowfall, with accumulations of about an inch or so, are possible along the crest and on the east slope of the Continental Divide overnight. On Friday skies are expected to be partly cloudy. Temperatures will rise into the 20s from overnight lows near 10 degrees. Winds will be east to northeast at five to 15 miles per hour. The general avalanche hazard is expected to MODERATE. Deep hard slabs up to five feet in depth persist in steep avalanche paths that did not slide during the last storm cycle. The potential for humans to trigger these slabs exists but is slowly decreasing. These slabs may be crossed multiple times before a weak spot is hit and the slab fails. For this reason tracks are not an indication of stability. Snowmachines are heavier than skiers and typically cut deeper into the slabs and therefore are more likely to trigger a deep hard slab avalanche. Caution is advised as the consequences of triggering one of these slabs is likely to be severe.