Tetons

The General Avalanche Hazard is MODERATE at the Mid and Upper elevations and LOW at the lower elevations and will rise as new snow accumulates. Yesterday, a skier triggered an 18 inch soft slab in the Snake River Range on an east-northeast aspect and on Friday another 18 inch slab was released on a northerly aspect on the west side of the Tetons. Surface slabs one to three feet in depth will increase with new snow, and could be triggered by backcountry travelers in wind loaded starting zones. Mid pack weaknesses, which formed in January, are adjusting to recent loads, but caution is still advised.

A disturbance is forecasted to move through the region Sunday night and into Monday. In the Teton and Greys River areas, four to six inches of new snow is possible by Monday morning, with an additional 2 to 4 inches of snow accumulating during the day. The Togwotee Pass area could see 2 to 4 inches of new snow by Monday afternoon. Southwest ridgecrest winds at 15 to 25 mph are expected to increase to 25 to 35 mph, and veer to the West by early Monday morning. Overnight lows in the mountains are projected to dip to near 10 degrees before rising into the low 20s during the day on Monday.The General Avalanche Hazard in the Teton and Southwest Trails/Greys River areas is expected to rise to CONSIDERABLE by Monday morning. New snow and strong Southwest winds will build new soft slabs in wind loaded staring zones and add weight to existing slabs. These slabs, up to four feet in depth, could be easily triggered by backcountry travelers on Monday, and carry strong consequences if failure occurs on deeper layers.In the Continental Divide/Togwotee Pass area, where less snow has fallen in the last few days, and smaller amounts in the forecast, the General Avalanche Hazard is expected to remain MODERATE. There, surface slabs one to three feet in depth could be released by backcountry travelers in wind loaded starting zones. In addition, mid pack and full depth hard slab avalanches could be triggered by backcountry travelers in areas with buried layers of weak, faceted snow.