The avalanche danger will increase today as a new storm impacts the area. As new snow accumulates, the chance to trigger loose sluffs and new shallow soft slabs will develop at higher elevations. Greater hazard lies in old weaknesses in the snowpack. Backcountry travelers have the potential to trigger these dangerous slabs with depths to six feet.
Buried weak snow persists at all elevations. Slabs could be triggered by a single rider or skier today and will increase in sensitivity during the afternoon. These dangerous slabs could be hard or soft, and could have depths to six feet by the end of today. Understanding snowpack layers in specific locations of your travel plan is essential to good decision making.
The possibility will develop to trigger new wind slabs at the high elevations. Strong southwest to west winds will form slabs on leeward slopes near peaks and along ridge crests. Slab depths could reach one foot by the end of the day today and once triggered could affect deeper weaknesses in the snowpack.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Snowfall is expected to increase Wednesday morning as another significant storm system impacts the area through Thursday. A foot of snow is possible by sunset Wednesday. Temperatures associated with this storm are expected to be warm with upper elevations reaching the mid twenties and low elevations reaching the mid thirties. Southwest to west winds with averages of thirty to forty miles per hour and stronger gusts will cause rapid loading near peak levels. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Considerable in all the forecast areas Wednesday morning. The hazard will increase during the day as the storm builds new wind slabs on steep leeward slopes. The chance continues for a single person to trigger deeper instabilities in the snowpack. These slides could vary in size to very large and could have depths to three feet in the Tetons and as much as five or six feet in the Togwotee Pass and Southwest Trails areas.
