Today...Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow in the morning. Highs 21°F to 27°F. Southwest winds around 15 mph late in the afternoon.

Tonight...Breezy. Mostly cloudy. Areas of blowing snow after midnight. Lows 9°F to 15°F. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph.

Saturday...Breezy. Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Areas of blowing snow. Highs 28°F to 34°F. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph.

Saturday Night...Breezy. Partly cloudy with slight chance of snow in the evening...then mostly cloudy with chance of snow after midnight. Areas of blowing snow through the night. Lows 14°F to 20°F. West winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 30 percent.

Sunday...Breezy. Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Areas of blowing snow in the afternoon. Highs 30°F to 36°F. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph.

Sunday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 15°F to 21°F.

Monday...Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 32°F to 38°F.

Monday Night...Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 19°F to 25°F.

Tuesday...Mostly cloudy with chance of snow in the morning...then partly cloudy with chance of snow and rain in the afternoon. Highs 32°F to 38°F. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.

Tuesday Night...Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 18°F to 24°F.

Wednesday...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 28°F to 34°F.

Wednesday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Lows 14°F to 20°F.

Thursday...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 27°F to 33°F.

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Mountain Weather

Yesterday most places received an inch or two of new snow. This morning temperatures were in the mid teens Fahrenheit and winds continue to blow strongly from the West at 20-40 mph. Today should have fewer clouds than yesterday and a little more sunshine. Temperatures should reach the mid 20s Fahrenheit and winds will continue from the West blowing 15-30 mph.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

The Bridger and northern Gallatin Ranges:

The Bridger and northern Gallatin Ranges received about 30 inches of new snow from last weekend's storm. Unfortunately this snow did not get much time to relax before strong East winds blew on Tuesday. For the past 2 days strong winds have blown from the West. This combination alone makes human triggered avalanches likely on wind loaded slopes.

Unfortunately many slopes also have a layer of small facets under the new snow that formed during dry cold weather last week. A skier in Hyalite Canyon on Wednesday spotted several recent avalanches that likely slid on this layer (photo).

For today the combination of plentiful powder, strong winds, and a widespread weak layer means human triggered avalanches are likely on wind loaded slopes where the Avalanche Danger is rated CONSIDERABLE. Non wind loaded slopes require a quick snowpit about 2 feet deep to determine if this weak layer is present because human triggered avalanches are definitely possible, and the Avalanche Danger is rated MODERATE.

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

The rest of the advisory area has small facets under the new snow but there's a difference.

• Near West Yellowstone and Lionhead this layer exist on many slopes, but this area did not receive as much new snow from the last storm as other areas did.
• Near Cooke City and Big Sky more snow fell but this layer only exists on specific terrain features.

Eric and his partner skied and snowmobiled near Cooke City yesterday and found this layer most prevalent on slopes with a southerly aspect. They found one avalanche several days old on a heavily wind loaded slope and spoke with skiers that had triggered a similar slide recently. Yesterday I skied near Big Sky on Yellow Mountain where I found a similar layer of facets near an ice crust on a South-South-East aspect without a wind load, but it was unreactive in stability tests and not a concern. Two days ago along Buck Ridge, Doug and I couldn't find this layer and felt comfortable riding on steep slopes.

Unfortunately strong West winds continue blowing and loading the lee sides of ridge and gullies where a skier or rider will trigger fresh wind slabs in steep terrain.

Today human triggered avalanches are likely on wind loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees especially if this weak layer is present where the Avalanche Danger is rated CONSIDERABLE. All other slopes have a MODERATE Avalanche Danger.

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.