Surface slabs formed by southwest to west winds during the last storm cycle could be human triggered in steep terrain features that have not already slide.Deep persistent slabs which have been a potential problem at the upper elevations since early December are unlikely.
At the mid and upper elevations pockets of wind slab up to two feet in depth could be human triggered in steep, wind loaded avalanche starting zones, cliff areas and steep couloirs. At the lower elevations shallow pockets of wind slab up to a foot in depth could be human triggered in isolated terrain features.
Snow is to develop on Thursday morning. This system is weak compared to what has been impacting us this year. By Friday afternoon, four to six inches of snow is expected at the higher elevations with up to two inches at the lower elevations. Mountain temperatures on Thursday are to hold in the upper teens. Southwest winds are to have five to fifteen mile per hour averages.The general avalanche hazard will be Low in the Tetons on Thursday and Moderate in the Togwotee Pass and Southwest trails areas. In steep untracked areas, the chance continues to trigger wind slabs formed during last week’s storm. These slabs will most prevalent in the Southwest Trails area where they could have depths to thirty inches. The chance to trigger deep hard slabs also continues in the Southwest Trails and even more so in the Togwotee Pass area. In the Tetons, the triggering of these deep weaknesses has become very unlikely and is being dropped as a current avalanche problem but could return if truly large and sustained storm hits the area. This is the first time since November that the Teton rating will be Low at all elevations. Remember that low does not mean no hazard exists. Isolated pockets of hazard exist at all elevations and thoughtful route finding and terrain selection remains prudent.
