Rest Of Today...Breezy. Mostly cloudy. Highs 29°F to 35°F. Southwest winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts to around 40 mph.

Tonight...Breezy. Mostly cloudy with isolated snow showers. Lows 13°F to 19°F. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 20 percent.

Monday...Breezy. Mostly sunny in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs 34°F to 40°F. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph.

Monday Night...Breezy. Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 18°F to 24°F. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph.

Tuesday...Breezy. Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of snow in the morning...then chance of rain and slight chance of snow in the afternoon. Highs 33°F to 39°F. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.

Tuesday Night...Breezy. Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 19°F to 25°F.

Wednesday...Mostly cloudy. Chance of snow in the morning...then chance of snow and rain in the afternoon. Highs 31°F to 37°F. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.

Wednesday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Lows 18°F to 24°F.

Thursday...Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Highs 22°F to 28°F.

Thursday Night...Colder. Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Lows 3°F to 9°F.

Friday...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. Highs 18°F to 24°F.

Friday Night...Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 0°F to 6°F.

Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 20°F to 26°F.

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Mountain Weather

Freight train winds have been the main weather event over the past 24 hours. Currently, winds are cranking out of the West-South-West at 30-40 mph with gusts reaching over 50 mph in most mountain locations. Temperatures are in the mid 20s to low 30s Fahrenheit and will rise into the 40s by this afternoon. Skies will be partly cloudy today and winds will gradually decrease by this evening.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

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

The old saying 'If you don't like the weather in Montana wait 5 minutes' seems to be more accurate than ever. Temperatures have fluctuated wildly; ranging from well below zero this past Wednesday to near fifty degrees above zero yesterday. The one common element that has tied the last few days together is WIND!

Strong winds and fresh snow have created ideal conditions for snow transport and wind loading. Yesterday, multiple natural avalanches were observed around Cooke City; all resulting from a heavy wind load. Although these slides were confined to the new snow and not propagating long distances, they were large in number.

The mountains around West Yellowstone have received less snow over the past week, but a widespread weak layer buried 10-12 inches below the surface will make wind loaded slopes sensitive to the weight of a skier or rider.

The mountains around Bozeman and Big Sky also have a buried weak layer which is being stressed by recent wind loading. Yesterday, a snowmobiler triggered a small wind slab in the second Yellowmule off Buck Ridge. This slide was not large in nature, but similar slides could have dire consequences if triggered in steeper more exposed terrain. Today, the primary avalanche concern is wind slabs that may be resting over a layer of small grained facets. This layer is not present on every slope, but is widespread enough to warrant a major heads up.

Today, the Avalanche Danger is rated CONSIDERABLE on all wind loaded slopes. Slopes that have not received a wind load 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.