Avalanche danger is Considerable today due to heavy snowfall in the past 24 hours. Human triggered avalanches are likely today in steep terrain. Slabs could be 2 to 4 feet thick and will likely be easy to trigger due to their recent formation. The crusts beneath recent snowfall up to about 9,000’ will make any avalanche entrain lots of debris and be hard to escape. Be cautious with your terrain choices as avalanches will be large enough to bury a person today. Author: Frank Carus
Gusty west winds transported light density snow yesterday afternoon and deposited it onto lee slopes and behind terrain features. Wind speeds were relatively low so evidence of these slab formation may be hard to find but will most likely exist close to ridgetops or beneath cliffs.
Sluffs will be significant in size today, especially at upper elevations or big terrain. Solar aspects have a very firm crust beneath the new snow and will make these grow in size and tricky to manage or escape.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )If snow densities remain in the 5-6% density range tonight and we receive the amount of snow water equivalent that is forecast, we will receive another 10 to 12 inches in the Tetons and possibly up to 18 inches in the Greys River area. Snow will taper in the morning with just a trace more falling through the day. Wind will shift to the north later tonight, ushering in colder air and low temperatures near 0F. Storm snow totalling 20-30 inches on a hard crust is a recipe for avalanches. Natural storm and wind slab avalanches two to four feet thick are possible tomorrow. Wind speeds are diminishing but the very light density snow is likely to be transported easily even on light to moderate wind speeds. Watch snowfall and wind speeds carefully overnight and count on avalanche danger rising to Considerable for tomorrow.
