Wind Slabs
- Alta quota
- Limite del bosco
- Sotto il limite del bosco
- Probabilità
- Likely
- Dimensione
- 1–1.5
Expect to find touchy conditions today on many aspects. Snowfall rates this afternoon may approach 1 inch an hour with strong winds, and impact the west Tetons earlier. Prior to today, we've accumulated some light, dry snow. Today's snowfall will likely be touchy on this interface alone. You are most likely to encounter problems at upper elevations where snow totals are greater, and wind speeds are higher. Monitor changes in snow conditions throughout the day, and watch for signs of cracking and collapsing. How weather pans out today and into tomorrow will load a significant slab likely sitting on a very weak surface.
Today will be a good day to start ratcheting back your terrain choices. I'd avoid any steep upper-elevation slope with evidence of wind effect. Late today, triggering avalanches on steep, wind-sheltered slopes may also become a real possibility.
(1/8/2024)
On wind-exposed steep rollovers, we could trigger small patches of new snowfall starting to form slabs atop buried surface hoar around 1.5 feet deep. These areas were easy to trigger and will increase in size an extent over the next several days.
Photo: Gabrielle Antonioli