Conditions are still dangerous. An avalanche warning has been continued until 6 AM on Friday morning. Yesterday a road cut slid on Teton Pass and closed the road at 12:30 PM. At 5:30 PM a slide was reported to have naturally released in the Taco Bell Chute. Large wind slab avalanches involving the recent storm snow and very large and destructive persistent slab avalanches could release naturally or be human triggered on a variety of aspects. These slides could run full path. Dangerous wet slides are possible at the lower elevations where temperatures have been in the 30s for two days. Roof slides are possible. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.
Large wind slabs formed by southwest winds exist on a variety of aspects. These slabs could be triggered by humans on steep slopes. Natural releases are possible. These slabs could be 2 to 5 feet deep at the mid and upper elevations. They could be 1 to 2 feet deep and wet at the lower elevations.
Four to five inches of snow water equivalent have been added to a snowpack with persistent weak layers of faceted snow. Very large, deep slab avalanches could release naturally or be triggered by humans on these problem layers. These avalanches could run long distances and be quite destructive. They could be 6 to 10 feet deep at the higher elevations and 2 to 4 feet deep and wet at the lower elevations.
Snow shower activity will decrease overnight as cooler and dryer air moves into western Wyoming. Skies are forecast to be mostly sunny on Friday with a chance of isolated snow showers over the highest terrain. Temperatures will drop into the teens and single digits by morning. Winds will be from the west-southwest and decrease to 10 to 20 miles per hour.The avalanche warning which has been continued until 6AM on Friday morning will be re-evaluated at 5AM and may be discontinued at that time.Conditions remain dangerous. At the mid and upper elevations huge loads have been placed on top of a snowpack that has buried persistent weak layers and areas with poor basal snow structure. The natural release or human triggering of very large slab avalanches is a real concern with potentially severe consequences. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be considerable on Friday. Patience and conservative terrain choices are essential until the snowpack finishes adjusting to the massive loading that occurred during the past five days. Tomorrow’s sunshine could increase the hazard during the day.
