Tetons

Above an elevation of 8,000 feet temperatures have been mostly in the 20s for the past 48 hours. Six to 12 inches of new snow that has fallen since Tuesday has been drifted by strong west to west-southwest winds. Pockets of dense wind slab up to 18 inches deep have formed on leeward aspects. On steep slopes these pockets of slab could release under the weight of a person or release naturally during periods of sunshine or sustained rainfall. If significant warming occurs larger and deeper wet loose and wet slab avalanches could occur. In late May the sun is intense and brief periods of sunshine will rapidly warm the snowpack and very quickly create unstable conditions. The hazard in the early morning hours is expected to be MODERATE at the upper elevations and LOW at the mid elevations. The hazard will rapidly increase to CONSIDERABLE at the mid and upper elevations if significant warming occurs. Steep terrain should be avoided after snow surfaces soften. Limited terrain is snow covered at the lower elevations. This forecast does not extend to terrain above an elevation of 10,500 feet.