Tetons

Cold temperatures have formed thick melt-freeze crusts below the new snow from yesterday. The snowpack is mostly stable, and any moving snow hazards will be small and limited to isolated locations. On the west slope of the Tetons at the upper elevations, where there was more new snow, skiers and riders could trigger loose snow sluffs on steep slopes. If surface crusts break down, due to the daily warming and direct sunlight, small, shallow wet snow slides may be possible. These slides could be deeper in areas with a shallow snowpack that has transitioned to unstable isothermal snow. Although the avalanche hazard is Low, these small slides could become quite dangerous if triggered in exposed terrain or above terrain traps.

A Pacific cold front will approach the area. A few showers are possible in northern areas later in the afternoon. Rain and snow showers in the evening are expected to spread from the northwest to the southeast and change over to all snow as colder air moves into the region.Skies will remain mostly clear overnight and allow temperatures to drop into the 20s. On Thursday clouds will be on the increase as temperatures rise back into the 30’s and 40’s before the arrival of the cold front. Southwest winds will strengthen during the day, become strong ahead of and during the frontal passage and will back to the northwest and stay strong later in the evening. This storm system will be moving fast and is not likely to bring more that a trace to a couple of inches of new snow to the mountains. The snowpack has been subjected to multiple melt-freeze cycles and is mostly stable. Snow surfaces are expected to freeze overnight and soften during the day. Wet snow slides are possible on steep sunlit aspects during the warmest portion of the day. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be low.