Soft wind slabs, which lie upon hard snow surfaces, were formed by abundant snowfall earlier in the week. Skiers and riders could trigger these slabs to depths of 30 inches in steep, wind-loaded terrain. Daytime warming will increase the likelihood of triggering these slides.
Wet loose slides will become possible on sunlit aspects later in the day as warm temperatures and abundant sunshine heat snow surfaces. Natural activity will likely emanate from cliff bands and rock outcroppings.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Skies will clear overnight, and temperature inversions will develop as high pressure moves into the area from the west. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the single digits before rebounding to near 30 during the day. Northwesterly ridgetop winds will range from 5 to 15 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE Saturday morning. In the Tetons and Greys River areas, daytime warming will increase the hazard to CONSIDERABLE in the afternoon as the chance rises to trigger recently formed wind slabs with depths up to 30 inches. The chance for wet, loose sluffs will also increase as the day warms on sunlit aspects.In the Togwotee Pass forecast zone, where less snow fell in the past week, the chance to trigger smaller wind slabs and wet, loose sluffs will also increase during the day. A slight chance remains to trigger deep, hard slabs failing on faceted snow that persists in the lower portion of the snowpack. There, the general avalanche hazard is expected to remain MODERATE throughout the day.
