Today...Breezy...snow. Areas of blowing snow. Snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches. Highs 19°F to 25°F. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph. Gusts up to 35 mph increasing to 40 mph in the afternoon. Chance of snow near 100 percent.

Tonight...Windy. Snow in the evening...then snow likely after midnight. Areas of blowing snow through the night. Snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches. Lows 0°F to 6°F. Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph decreasing to 15 to 20 mph early in the morning. Chance of snow 90 percent.

Wednesday...Breezy. Snow likely in the morning...then snow in the afternoon. Areas of blowing snow through the day. Snow accumulation around 1 inch. Highs 16°F to 22°F. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 80 percent. Lowest wind chill readings -10°F to -20°F in the morning.

Wednesday Night...Snow likely in the evening...then snow after midnight. Snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Lows -2°F to 4°F. Southwest winds around 15 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent.

Thursday...Snow. Snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches. Total snow accumulation 6 to 14 inches. Highs 10°F to 16°F. Southwest winds around 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of snow near 100 percent.

Thursday Night...Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Lows -7°F to 1°F. Wind chill readings -20°F to -30°F.

Friday...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 6°F to 14°F. Wind chill readings -20°F to -30°F.

Friday Night...Colder. Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow. Lows -8°F to -18°F.

Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 11°F to 17°F.

Saturday Night...Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows -10°F to 0°F.

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

Sunday Night...Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow. Lows -1°F to 5°F.

Monday...Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 22°F to 28°F.

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Mountain Weather

Yesterday morning another one to two inches fell in most ranges, but snow showers outside West Yellowstone dropped five inches of new snow. Winds are increasing out of the west to southwest and are currently blowing 20-35 mph with temperatures in the single digits. A storm is slated to arrive early this afternoon and last into Thursday. In the next 24 hours I expect six to eight inches of new snow in the mountains with strong westerly winds and temperatures only rising into the high teens before dropping to the low single digits tonight.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

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

We've had a snowy week. Since last Wednesday 1.5 to over two feet of snow has fallen throughout southwest Montana. West to south winds have drifted this snow and created instabilities. Yesterday, natural slides from wind-loading were noted on Buck Ridge and also on Lone Peak. The Big Sky and Moonlight Ski Patrols found touchy soft slabs which were easily ski cut. A snowmobiler in Taylor Fork also triggered a wind slab and skiers on Mount Blackmore stuck to sheltered slopes since slabs were building throughout the day. The Bridger Bowl Ski Patrol saw plumes of snow cross loading slopes at mid elevations, so don't get fooled into thinking wind slabs are only near the ridgetop.

The recent avalanche activity has been limited to the new/old snow interface. But a layer of small-grained facets is still an issue on isolated and seemingly random slopes. This layer is buried under two to three feet of snow. In Lionhead yesterday, it caught me by surprise when I got it to fracture in my last snowpit of the day. We could not get it to break in Taylor Fork last week, nor in Beehive Basin on Sunday, but Mark and others did find it up Hyalite in the northern Gallatin Range on the 17th. This layer is strengthening, but some slopes, especially those with the added stress of wind drifts, could still fracture.

Ridgetop and lower elevation winds are still drifting and cross loading slopes. These are likely spots where skiers and snowmobilers can trigger an avalanche today. There's also the added possibility of slides breaking into deeper layers on a few select slopes—not a pretty thought.

For today, the Avalanche Danger is rated CONSIDERABLE on all wind-loaded terrain. Slopes without a wind-load have a MODERATE Avalanche Danger. Knowing that there are still a few slopes with a deeper instability means I'll be digging at least three feet down to look for it. Sure, it's more work, but like flossing, it's preventative behavior.

Truman Avalanche Report:

The report on the avalanche fatality from February 14th in Truman's Gulch on the west side of the Bridger Range is posted online. You can read it here: http://www.mtavalanche.com/accident/11/02/18.

Information provided by Doug Chabot, Mark Staples, and Eric Knoff from the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. For Photos and Videos, please visit the Avalanche Centers Website!

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.

3rd Annual Montana Ale Works Fundraiser

When & Where: March 1, Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. in the Railcar.

Cost: $20 to benefit the Friends of the Avalanche Center

Details: Chef Roth at Montana Ale Works is creating tapas style servings that will be paired with select beer from Lone Peak Brewery. More information HERE.

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.