Warmer air is beginning to move in aloft. Temperatures at 10,500 feet at 5 AM this morning are 10 to 15 degrees warmer than they were at the same time yesterday morning. Human triggered avalanches continue to be a hazard in steep terrain. Surface slabs could be triggered by skiers or riders who venture into steep wind loaded avalanche starting zones, cliff areas and steep couloirs. Deep persistent slabs which have been a potential problem at the upper elevations since early December are unlikely.
Surface slabs formed by southwest to west winds during the last storm cycle could be human triggered in steep terrain features that have not already slide. These slabs could be up to two feet deep at the mid and upper elevations and up 18 inches deep at the lower elevations. These slabs could be more sensitive to human triggers during the warmer portion of the day.
A strong temperature inversion will persist thought Wednesday night. Skies will be mostly clear with some clouds moving in from the west later in the day. Winds will back towards the southwest and increase to 25 with gusts to 40 miles per hour by the end of the day.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE. The potential for humans to trigger surface slabs, the distribution of those slabs and the size of those slabs is slowly decreasing. Deep persistent slabs are still a concern in steep north facing terrain at the upper elevations in the Togwotee Pass and the Greys River areas due to the potential consequences of human involvement with one of these large destructive slabs.
