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Daily Winter Weather Report

Date: Thursday - January 06, 2011


Station Max Temp Min Temp Pres Temp New Snow Snow Depth BC OC SC Present Conditions
Canyon 16 8 13 1 38   X   Calm / Lite snow
East Entrance 28 18 27 0 30   X   Calm
Grant Village 18 10 17 1 46   X   Calm
Lake 17 9 17 2 38   X   Calm
Lamar 26 13 24 T 22   X   Calm
Madison 24 0 14 T 28   X   Calm
Mammoth 27 15 26 0 18   X   SSE@5mph
Old Faithful 19 13 19 0 29   X   SSE@3mph / Gust 6mph
Snake River 19 12 19 1 41   X   Calm
Tower 21 18 20 T 27   X   S@6-8mph
West Entrance 18 12 18 1 36   X   Calm
T=Trace / BC=Broken Clouds / OC=Overcast / SC=Scattered Clouds
All Temperatures are in °F ~ All Snow Depths are in Inches


Road Conditions
Road Section Status Conditions Public Access / Info
Gardiner to Mammoth YR STR STR
Mammoth to Tower YR STR STR - Blowing / Drifting
Tower to NE Entrance YR STR STR - Blowing / Drifting
Beartooth Highway CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED
Canyon to Lake Open Fair Oversnow
Firehole Canyon Drive Open - Oversnow - Snowcoaches only in the morning
Grant to South Entrance Open Fair Oversnow
Junction to Chief Joseph Hwy CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED
Lake to East Entrance Open Fair Oversnow
Lake to West Thumb Open Fair Oversnow
Madison to Old Faithful Open Good Oversnow
Madison to West Yellowstone Open Good Oversnow
Mammoth to Norris Open Good Oversnow
Norris to Canyon Open Good Oversnow
Norris to Madison Open Good Oversnow
Old Faithful to Grant Open Fair Oversnow

YR=Year Round / NR=No Restrictions / STA=Snow Tires Advised / STR=Snow Tires Required

* NOTE: CLOSED FOR THE SEASON.

# Poor road conditions - bare spots and melting snow - Restricted to Snowcoaches Only.

The park service plowing schedule for roads for the spring season.

******** FOR CURRENT ROAD INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 307-344-2117 ********

 SPECIAL INFORMATION

Yellowstone Seven Day Forecast on 06 January 2011 by the NWS Riverton, WY

Rest Of Today: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Highs 23°F to 29°F. Southwest winds around 15 mph late in the morning.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Lows 11°F to 17°F.

Friday: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 25°F to 31°F.

Friday Night: Chance of snow in the evening...then snow likely after midnight. Snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Lows 11°F to 17°F. Chance of snow 70 percent.

Saturday: Snow likely in the morning...then snow in the afternoon. Snow accumulation of 2 to 3 inches. Highs 21°F to 27°F. Southwest winds around 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of snow 80 percent.

Saturday Night: Colder. Snow in the evening...then chance of snow after midnight. Light snow accumulations. Lows -4°F to 4°F. Chance of snow 80 percent. Wind chill readings -11°F to -21°F.

Sunday: Colder. Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 6°F to 12°F.

Sunday Night: Colder. Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows -4°F to -14°F.

Monday: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 3°F to 9°F.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow. Lows -6°F to -16°F.

Tuesday: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 9°F to 15°F.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows -3°F to 3°F.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 13°F to 19°F.

Snowflake Hazardous Weather Snowflake Gibbon Falls Forecast Snowflake Mammoth Forecast Snowflake Midway Forecast Snowflake Norris Forecast Snowflake Old Faithful Forecast Snowflake


Snow Depth Totals as reported at SNOTELs
Station Depth (inches) Station Depth (inches)
Black Bear 89 Snake River Station 28
Blackwater 48 Sylvan Lake 49
Canyon 37 Sylvan Road 34
Evening Star 60 Thumb Divide 46
Grassy Lake 72 Two Ocean Plateau 62
Lewis Lake Divide 70 West Yellowstone 36
Madison Plateau 59 Whiskey Creek 47
Parker Peak 59 Wolverine 28

Avalanche Information - from the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center this report is by Mark Staples

Mountain Weather:

An additional inch or two of snow fell in the past 24 hours. This morning temperatures were in the low 20s Fahrenheit at 9000 feet except near Cooke City and West Yellowstone where temperatures were closer to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Only slightly lower elevations have temperatures approaching 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Strong winds yesterday continued this morning blowing 15-30 mph from the West. Warm air advection and tight pressure gradients in the weather models mean today's weather will be warm and windy with temperatures in the high 20's to low 30's and 15-30 mph West winds. Some snowfall is expected, but no more than an inch should accumulate. This weekend, however, looks promising for snow and colder weather.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

The northern Madison Range:

Doug and I went to Buck Ridge yesterday, just south of Big Sky, where there was about a foot of new snow though it seemed much deeper in spots. This new snow had been scoured from ridgetops by strong winds, and ski patrols on Lone Mountain easily triggered wind slabs and new snow avalanches with both explosives and ski cuts. Buried surface hoar, about 2-3 feet deep, has plagued the mountains near Big Sky. In our stability tests yesterday, this layer required moderate force to break but did not propagate fractures despite the significant stress of new snow, and we couldn't find any natural avalanches on this layer. This surface hoar layer has generally gained strength but not at the same rate on all slopes. In some areas, as skiers found high in Beehive Basin on Tuesday, this layer remains weak.

With significant new snow and wind, fresh wind slabs are the main concern today and the Avalanche Danger is CONSIDERABLE on all wind loaded slopes. All other slopes have aMODERATE Avalanche Danger.

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

Stability evaluations in the rest of the advisory area are much simpler. The snowpack lacks widespread, persistent weak layers, and the main problem will be fresh wind slabs which should be easy to identify and avoid. With warm weather these wind slabs should begin to bond but will remain sensitive today. The winter season and the snowpack are still young, and areas of weak snow can be found. While these areas are isolated, their existence reminds us to remain attentive. Often we can identify these areas by feeling changes in the snow under our skis or our track. Assessing stability with a snowpit is always a good idea, but it is especially so if the snowpack suddenly feels different.

For today, the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on wind loaded slopes where human triggered avalanches are likely. For slopes without wind deposits, the Avalanche Danger is rated MODERATE on all slopes steeper than 35 degrees while lesser angled slopes have a LOW Danger.

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

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

Avalanche Danger Scale

Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center ~ Mammoth Weather Forecast

Back to the Yellowstone Daily Winter Reports or the Yellowstone Weather Page

Information provided by Yellowstone National Park, National Weather Service and Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center


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