An extended period of above freezing temperatures at all elevations have created unstable conditions. At 5 AM temperatures were above freezing at 10,500 feet and well above freezing at the mid and lower elevations. Wet loose and wet slab avalanches are possible today on a variety of aspects. Wet slides were observed yesterday in the Hoback River Canyon and in Stewarts Draw at an elevation of 9,000 feet in the Teton Range. The potential for these events to be human triggered or release naturally will increase as the day warms. Steep terrain and known avalanche paths should be considered to be dangerous today. Very steep, rocky terrain with a shallow snowpack are especially suspect.
Wet loose avalanches are possible on a variety of aspects in steep terrain at all elevations. These wet slides could be human triggered or release spontaneously and have potential to entrain snow to the ground in areas where the snowpack is isothermal.
Wet slab avalanches are possible in isolated areas in steep terrain and could be human triggered or released naturally in response to warming temperatures. These slabs could fail on buried crusts, isothermal snow and/or areas of buried faceted snow or a combination of these snow types.
Cloud cover will increase as will the potential for light shower activity. Skies will be mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a chance of valley rain showers, a mix of rain and snow showers at the mid elevations and the potential for a little wet snow above an elevation of 10,000 feet. Temperatures are forecast to fall to around freezing overnight and rise back into the 40s and 50s during the day. Winds will be light and variable. Conditions will continue to be unstable on steep slopes with areas of unconsolidated snow. Natural and human triggered wet loose and wet slab avalanches are possible on a variety of aspects. Areas of MODERATE and CONSIDERABLE avalanche hazard are likely tomorrow and will be delineated in the morning nowcasts for each of our three forecast regions.
