Tetons

At mid and upper elevations recent snow and strong west-northwest winds have formed firm surface slabs up to 18 inches in depth on leeward aspects that could be human triggered. Instabilities persist associated with deeply buried layers of faceted snow and November rain crusts. The potential remains for people to trigger dangerous hard slabs up to six feet in depth. The deep, hard slabs exist on a variety of aspects. Conservative decisions regarding terrain selection are warranted. At lower elevations the snow is mostly stable.

The mostly dry northwest flow may bring a slight chance of light snow to the mountains Tuesday night then Wednesday should be mostly dry with partly cloudy skies. Mountain temperatures will fall into the low teens overnight then rise into the twenties during the day Tuesday. Winds over the peaks will be northwesterly at speeds of 30 miles per hour overnight then slow by Tuesday evening.The General Avalanche Hazard will be MODERATE in the Tetons Wednesday. Soft slabs to two feet in depth could be human triggered on avalanche prone lee slopes with good wind deposition. Deep slab instabilities lurk in the depths of the snowpack but are likely to require larger triggers like multiple people on a slope. The General Avalanche Hazard in the Greys River/Southwest trails area and the Continental Divide/Togwotee Pass area will be CONSIDERABLE. Weak, faceted snow at the base of the snowpack has been the cause of several dangerous hard slab avalanches in the Angle Mountain area that have been triggered remotely by skiers and snowboarders. Other steep areas in that region and the east side of the Wyoming Range have similar conditions making triggering deep slides by riders likely. Surface slabs to eighteen inches in depth similar to those in the Tetons could also be triggered in the mountains of the Greys River area.