TETON AREA FORECAST
Issued at 01/31/2021 06:10   Valid until: 01/31/2021 23:59 


AVALANCHE DANGER
Teton Area avalanche hazard rating for 01/31/2021

Considerable above 7500', Moderate below

General Avalanche Advisory
Dangerous avalanche conditions exist at the mid and upper elevations. At all elevations over the last few days, skiers and riders have triggered numerous small to large soft slabs involving the recent snowfall. Some of these events were remotely triggered, and likely failed on faceted snow that was buried at the start of the storm cycle Wednesday morning. Other slides have failed on density breaks within the storm cycle. Similar slides, along with loose snow sluffs, will be likely today. As the day warms, avalanche activity will become more likely, especially on sunlit aspects when the new snow gets impacted by the sun for the first time, and natural activity could develop on solar aspects. Monitor temperatures and the influence of the sun, and transition to shaded terrain if snow surfaces start to become damp.

Today's Avalanche Problems

Persistent Slab
ASPECT/ELEVATION: All
LIKELIHOOD: Likely
SIZE: Large to Very Large
TREND: Increasing 
DESCRIPTION
Since Wednesday, the Tetons have received 20 to 40 inches of new snow containing 1.5 to 2.5 inches of snow water equivalent. Surface hoar and near surface facets were buried at the beginning of the storm cycle, and skiers and riders are likely to trigger persistent slab avalanches failing on these layers on a variety of aspects and elevations. These slabs are likely to range in depth from 2 to 4 feet at the mid and upper elevations, and they could entrain significant amounts of snow in long, sustained couloirs. With the load that this storm cycle added to the snowpack, avalanche activity might also occur on faceted layers that developed earlier in the season resulting in very large, destructive avalanches. At the lower elevations, slab depths could be up to 2 feet deep. Careful snowpack evaluation and conservative terrain choices will be essential for safe travel in avalanche terrain.