Today...Partly cloudy. Patchy freezing fog in the morning. Highs -6°F to 0°F. Northeast winds around 15 mph in the morning. Lowest wind chill readings -44°F to -54°F in the morning.

Tonight...Mostly clear. Patchy freezing fog after midnight. Lows -21°F to -31°F. North winds around 15 mph early in the evening.

Wednesday...Not as cold. Mostly sunny in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Patchy freezing fog in the morning. Highs 10°F to 18°F. Lowest wind chill readings -44°F to -54°F in the morning.

Wednesday Night...Not as cold. Partly cloudy. Patchy freezing fog after midnight. Lows -6°F to 4°F.

Thursday...Not as cold. Partly cloudy. Patchy freezing fog in the morning. Highs 23°F to 29°F.

Thursday Night...Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of snow in the evening...then chance of snow after midnight. Lows 7°F to 13°F. Chance of snow 30 percent.

Friday...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 24°F to 30°F.

Friday Night...Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Lows 17°F to 23°F.

Saturday...Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Highs 27°F to 33°F.

Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Lows 15°F to 21°F.

Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Highs 23°F to 29°F.

Sunday Night...Much colder. Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow. Lows -1°F to -7°F.

Monday...Colder. Partly cloudy. Highs 5°F to 11°F.

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Mountain Weather

Brrrr. After getting used to the warm weather last week, this morning's mountain temperatures are downright nasty. Minus 16°F to minus 20°F is the average with clear skies and light northerly winds at 5-15 mph. Today will be sunny, but cold. Temperatures will rise into the low single digits before plummeting again tonight to minus 15°F or minus 20°F; is there really a difference? High pressure, clear skies and temperatures in the teens are forecasted for tomorrow with a warming trend all week.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

The Bridger, Madison and Gallatin Ranges, the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone, and the mountains around Cooke City and the Washburn Range:

Stable snow prevails over most of our advisory area. Layers in the snowpack are bonding well which are confirmed in our snowpits, tests and field investigations. As folks expand their territory searching for untracked powder, they are finding avalanches that broke over a week ago in thinner snow and also near ridgelines on wind-loaded slopes. Eric and his partner checked out an older slide up Dudley Creek which was the result of a cornice break on heavily drifted snow.

Thinner snowpacks are weaker and can be found with a quick stab of a ski pole or by stepping off a sled. If you hit dirt, go somewhere else. Not only will the riding and sliding be better, but it'll be safer too. Snowpack assessment doesn't get much easier than this. Although the snowpack structure is weak in spots, without a new snow load most slopes are staying put.

Yesterday, folks reported small wind slabs breaking in the Bridger Range and also outside Cooke City. Winds have calmed, but it's still possible to trigger a small slide on a wind-loaded slope.

For today, the Avalanche Danger is rated MODERATE on wind-loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees. All other slopes have a LOW Avalanche Danger.

Surface hoar was found over the weekend on some slopes. It appears to be a random distribution, but these feathery crystals are now capped with an inch or two of snow from Sunday night. Cold temperatures, clear nights and sunny days could further weaken the top six to eight inches of the snowpack. If you're interested in learning more about this process, you can read my article, No Snow, Big Problem.

Information provided by Doug Chabot, Mark Staples, and Eric Knoff from the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center.

If you have any snowpack or avalanche observations, drop them a line at mtavalanche@gmail.com or call: 406-587-6984.

For detailed Avalanche Terms utilized here, please see the Avalanche Glossary.

West Yellowstone: Beacon Park Operational

Skiing or riding near West Yellowstone? Test your beacon skills at a beacon park near the old airport where you can search for pre-placed beacons switched on/off by a control panel. Look for it by orange snow fence and signage just south of the snow cross track.

9th ANNUAL KING AND QUEEN OF THE RIDGE

The 9th Annual King and Queen of the Ridge will be held at Bridger Bowl on Saturday, February 12. ALL proceeds go to the Friends of the Avalanche Center who use the money to promote avalanche education in southwest Montana. Last winter we taught 64 classes reaching over 4,900 people. You can help raise money to continue this education in 2 ways:

1). Get pledges and hike the ridge. You don't have to do 20 laps – you can get flat pledges and hike just once! Or you can test your mettle and try and break John Yarington's record of 29 laps in 5 hours.

2). Sponsor someone. If you don't have someone to sponsor, consider sponsoring the GNFAC since we'll be hiking for dollars. Click Here for more information and registration forms.