Today...Breezy. Partly cloudy. Highs 33°F to 39°F. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph.

Tonight...Breezy. Cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 20°F to 26°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 35°F to 41°F. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.

Tuesday Night...Breezy. Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 20°F to 26°F. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph.

Wednesday...Cloudy. Scattered snow showers in the morning...then scattered snow showers and rain showers in the afternoon. Highs 31°F to 37°F. Southwest winds around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.

Wednesday Night...Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Lows 16°F to 22°F.

Thursday...Snow likely. Light snow accumulations. Highs 19°F to 25°F. Chance of snow 70 percent. Lowest wind chill readings -16°F to -26°F in the morning.

Thursday Night...Much colder. Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. Lows -2°F to 4°F.

Friday...Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 17°F to 23°F.

Friday Night...Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 0°F to 6°F.

Saturday...Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 21°F to 27°F.

Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 5°F to 11°F.

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

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Mountain Weather

Southwest Montana will receive a welcomed reprieve from the wind today as a ridge of high pressure builds over the region. Currently, winds are blowing out of the West-South-West at 15-30 mph and will continue at these speeds for the remainder of the day. Mountain temperatures are presently in the mid to high 20s Fahrenheit and will rise into the 40s Fahrenheit under mostly sunny skies. Another round of wind is expected to arrive tomorrow.

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:

Hurricane force winds have done a number on the snowpack over the past few days. Yesterday, wind gusts up to 100 mph were recorded at the Great Falls weather station at Moonlight Basin, while gusts in the 60's and 70's mph were the norm elsewhere. Winds of this magnitude have a tendency to blow more snow into the atmosphere than onto leeward slopes, but as Doug found out yesterday in Sunlight Basin, rapid loading was taking place in specific areas. Doug mentioned he observed repeat slides on the same slope due to intense loading. The Big Sky Ski Patrol also reported recent avalanche activity on Cedar Mountain. Non-wind loaded slopes appear to have a generally deep and stable snowpack.

Fortunately, winds will abate throughout the day. As the winds drop so will the avalanche danger. Warm temperatures and the lack of an active weak layer will help conditions stabilize quickly. The main avalanche concern today will be any slope that has received a heavy wind load. Upper elevation slopes with north and east aspects will be the most likely to have unstable conditions.

Today, heightened avalanche conditions exist on specific terrain features and the Avalanche Danger is rated MODERATE.

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.