Tetons

The snowpack is mostly stable in the early morning hours. Skiers and riders might be able to trigger a small, isolated pocket of wind slab near upper elevation ridgelines on slopes that have not been impacted by the sun. Mountain temperatures are starting out around 10 degrees warmer than yesterday morning. Depending on the timing and amount of sunshine, the threat of wet slides could return as the day warms. These slow moving slides have the potential to entrain significant amounts of snow and become destructive. Skiers and riders, along with cornice failures, could trigger these small to large slides on sunlit aspects. Monitor temperatures and the impact of the sun, and transition to shaded slopes if snow surfaces become damp.

A fast moving system is to bring two to four inches of snow to the mountains and an inch to the valleys by sunrise on Tuesday. Winds will be westerly during the precipitation with averages near thirty miles per hour and should increase to higher averages from sunrise to mid-morning as the system exits. Overnight temperatures should cool down to the teens up high and to the low twenties in towns. During the rest of the day on Tuesday, lingering snow showers will be possible as skies partially clear, winds decrease and temperatures reach the mid-twenties. For the first time since December 15th 2020, the avalanche danger will be rated as Low in the Teton Forecast area at all elevations. The colder temperatures are expected to stabilize and lock on current avalanche hazards in all but extreme terrain. New snow is not expected to be deep enough to create storm instabilities. In the Southwest Trails and Togwotee Pass areas, the danger will be Low below 8000 feet and increase from Low to Moderate above that elevation. Colder temperatures will decrease the chance for some avalanche threats, however the possibility of triggering an avalanche involving deep preserved weak layers continues. Although it has become less likely, the possibility exists for a single person to trigger a very large avalanche that would likely carry severe consequences. This likelihood will increase in the afternoon as temperatures rise, particularly on sunlit slopes.