Tetons

Three feet of new snow and light winds over the past several days have formed soft surface slabs to 3 feet in depth at mid and upper elevations. Skier triggered slides have occurred on steep southeast to southwest facing slopes. Sensitive cornices, and sloughs capable of entraining large amounts of loose snow could also be triggered or run naturally on lee slopes or areas that receive sustained sun. Some potential remains for these slides to step down to deeper layers. Pockets of hard slab up to 3 feet in depth that sit on a base of weak, faceted snow could be triggered at the lower elevations in steep, wind-loaded starting zones.

Tuesday night into Wednesday a quick moving storm system is forecasted to bring 6 to 8 inches of new snow to the Tetons, 5 to 7 inches to the Greys River area and 4 to 6 inches to the Togwotee Pass area. Winds with the system will be southwesterly tonight then westerly Wednesday with ridge top averages of 40 miles per hour. Temperatures will rise from four degrees in the morning to eleven in the afternoon. New, sensitive surface slabs will develop with the forecasted wind and snow. Slides will have the potential to pull out deeper, unconsolidated older snow resulting in large debris volumes. Surface slides will also be possible in the Greys River region. Deeper slabs are also possible there as weak, faceted snow sits at the base of the snow pack. In the Togwotee Pass area the snowpack is shallower and there has been less new snow but deep slabs, likely requiring larger triggers, are possible.