Tetons

Temperatures are starting out 15 to 20 degrees cooler than yesterday morning. Conditions continue to be dangerous as persistent deep slab avalanches remain the primary concern. At the mid and upper elevations, skiers and riders could trigger these slabs to depths up to five feet on a variety of aspects. Backcountry travelers could also trigger newly developed pockets of shallow soft slab and loose snow sluffs in steep, leeward terrain near upper elevation ridgelines. The release of one of these new soft slabs could step down and trigger a persistent deep slab below. Managing your terrain with a conservative approach will continue to be the safest way to avoid being caught in a large to very large, destructive avalanche. Skiers and riders might be able to trigger an isolated pocket of slab up to two feet deep in very steep, shaded terrain at the lower elevations.

The northwest to southeast clearing trend will continue overnight and through most of Sunday before cloud cover begins to increase in the evening as the leading edge of the next disturbance begins to move into the area. A few light, scattered flurries could linger into Sunday, particularly in the Southwest Trails forecast zone. Overnight lows in the mountains will dip into the upper single digits before rising into the low teens in the afternoon. Northwesterly to northerly ridgetop winds will range from 5 to 15 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to remain CONSIDERABLE on Sunday. Conditions will continue to be dangerous as persistent deep slab avalanches remain the primary concern. Large triggers, such as snowmobiles, are more likely to initiate these slabs, but the weight of a single person could still release one of these three to five feet deep slabs if a shallow weak zone is encountered. In the Teton and Southwest Trails forecast zones, backcountry travelers could also trigger recently developed pockets of shallow wind slab in very steep, leeward terrain near upper elevation ridgelines. These small slabs may pose a greater threat in their ability to trigger a persistent deep slab than bury a person. Managing your terrain with a conservative approach will continue to be the safest and easiest way to avoid being caught in a large to very large, destructive avalanche.