Tetons

The General Avalanche Hazard at Mid and Upper elevations is CONSIDERABLE. Fifteen inches of new snow Saturday into Sunday morning was driven by strong west-southwest winds creating slabs to three feet in depth. Continued strong westerly winds and a few more inches of snow in the past twenty four hours have added to those slabs. Control work at the Jackson Hole Resort Sunday resulted in only a few slides in steep areas under cliff bands, well below ridge crests. In the backcountry slides may be more prevalent and easily triggered on steep lee slopes. At Low elevations the hazard is MODERATE.

High pressure will build over the region bringing dry, clear weather Tuesday. Daytime high temperatures will rise into the upper teens and ridge top winds will be westerly at 15 to 20 miles per hour.The strong winds and heavy snowfall of the past two days have created slabs to three feet in depth in lee areas at the upper elevations. These slabs rest on slopes with easterly to northerly aspects. Contributing factors may be the proximity of ridge crests, slopes that receive increased loading from cliffs or chutes, or distinct convex profiles. Tuesday the General Avalanche Hazard will be CONSIDERABLE at upper elevations in the Tetons and Greys River areas and MODERATE in the Togwotee Pass area. Faceted, weak snow at the base of the snowpack is still of concern in the Togwotee Pass/Continental Divide area. Larger triggers like multiple high-marking tracks may be needed to pull out these deeper slides.