Storm totals since early Tuesday morning are 15 to 20 inches with up to 2 inches of snow water equivalent. At the upper elevations yesterdays backcountry users triggered soft slab avalanches 1 to 2 feet deep on steep avalanche prone slopes. A snow boarder who was caught in a slide on a south aspect of Mt. Taylor is missing and believed to be buried. Teton County Search and Rescue volunteers will resume rescue operations this morning. The Coal Creek parking area will be closed. Similar slides could be triggered today in steep upper elevation avalanche starting zones. This mornings rescue operations and the Covid-19 pandemic are straining our communities rescue capabilities and our public health resources. The public is urged to be extremely cautious in the backcountry.
At the upper elevations and in isolated areas at the mid elevations dense slab avalanches formed by southwest to west winds can be triggered by the weight of a single person on steep avalanche prone slopes. These slabs could be one to two feet deep.
Overnight, mostly clear skies and cold temperatures will continue into tomorrow morning. By mid-day cloud cover is expected to increase to partly cloudy. Mountain temperatures will range from the single digits to mid-20s, and valleys will climbing into the 30s. Westerly ridgetop winds are expected to be 10 to 25 miles per hour. In steep terrain above 9,000 feet, the general avalanche hazard remains moderate. On wind-loaded terrain features, backcountry travelers could trigger slab avalanches 12 to 24 inches in-depth. As the day warms, these slabs may increase in sensitivity on solar aspects. Below 9,000 feet, the general avalanche hazard is low, and avalanche activity is not expected, except for small wet surface slides during prolonged periods of sunshine. Recreational avalanche accidents are an unacceptable burden on the community's public health care system. It is an important time to exercise conservative decision making and avoid accidents.
