Today...Breezy...snow. Areas of blowing snow in the afternoon. Snow accumulation of 6 to 8 inches. West winds 15 to 20 mph. Gusts up to 35 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent. Highs 23°F to 29°F.

Tonight...Breezy. Areas of blowing snow in the evening. Snow and slight chance of thunderstorms in the evening...then numerous snow showers after midnight. Snow accumulation around 3 inches. Total snow accumulation 9 to 11 inches. West winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation 80 percent. Lows 0°F to 6°F. Wind chill readings -10°F to -20°F.

Sunday...Breezy. Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph. Highs 18°F to 24°F. Lowest wind chill readings -10°F to -20°F in the morning.

Sunday Night...Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows -5°F to 1°F.

Monday...Partly cloudy with slight chance of snow in the morning... Then mostly cloudy with scattered snow showers in the afternoon. Chance of snow 40 percent. Highs 23°F to 29°F.

Monday Night...Mostly cloudy. Scattered snow showers in the evening...then chance of snow after midnight. Chance of snow 50 percent. Lows 3°F to 9°F.

Tuesday...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 19°F to 25°F.

Tuesday Night...Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 3°F to 9°F.

Wednesday...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 23°F to 29°F.

Wednesday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 4°F to 10°F.

Thursday / March 1st...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 17°F to 23°F.

Thursday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 3°F to 9°F.

Friday...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 21°F to 27°F.

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

SADDLE PEAK AVALANCHE

Yesterday a skier triggered an avalanche on the south summit of Saddle Peak. Ironically, a photo of this slope appeared on the front page of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle yesterday morning. She was the second person in a group of three to ski and was caught near the top when it broke. She was carried 1500 feet, injured and partially buried. Her partners quickly found her and called 911. Gallatin County Search and Rescue rescued her with a helicopter. A full report will be issued in the next few days. Pure luck is the only reason she was not killed. In the last 12 days, 9 people have been killed in avalanches in the U.S. and 6 of these occurred backcountry areas next to ski areas. This terrain is otherwise known as "sidecountry."

Mountain Weather

Since yesterday a few places near Cooke City and West Yellowstone received a trace of new snow. This morning ridgetop temperatures were in the mid teens Fahrenheit and West-southwest winds were blowing 20-30 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. Today will be cold, windy, and snowy. Temperatures may climb a few degrees this morning before cold air moves into the area. Winds will blow mostly from the West at 25-40 mph. Snow will start falling early this morning. By tomorrow morning 4 to 6 inches will accumulate near Cooke City and West Yellowstone. Further north near Bozeman and Big Sky, 2 to 4 inches will accumulate.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

The Bridger Range and the mountains around Cooke City:

The Bridger Range and the mountains around Cooke City received the most snow during this week's storm, and these areas had the most avalanches. An avalanche fatality occurred near Cooke City on Wednesday, and a skier luckily survived an avalanche on Saddle Peak yesterday. Skiers near Cooke City reported many natural avalanches in recent days. Some were breaking 1 to 3 feet deep just under the storm snow while others broke 4 to 6 feet deep at the ground. I was skiing and snowmobiling in the northern Bridgers near Sacajawea Peak and saw many natural avalanches as well. Some were a day or two old; others were very fresh. Many of these slides occurred on a layer of near-surface facets I found 2 weeks ago, and some broke at the ground. We posted photos of many of these avalanches on our photos page. Also, in the Crazy mountains just outside the advisory areas, many large avalanches both natural and human triggered have occurred.

Today with increased winds readily transporting snow there will be more natural avalanches and skiers or riders will easily trigger avalanches as well. All wind loaded slopes have a HIGH Avalanche Danger. Non-wind loaded slopes have a CONSIDERABLE Avalanche Danger.

The Gallatin and Madison Ranges and the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone:

The Gallatin and Madison Ranges and the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone are no less dangerous. Yesterday just north of Big Sky, a skier observed 6 natural avalanches that slid about 2 days ago. These occurred on most aspects at elevations between 9000 and 10000 feet. They broke 1 to 4 feet deep. He also remotely triggered another. Further south near the Taylor Fork drainage, NRCS folks also observed a few natural avalanches. Other slopes did not slide and are waiting for a skier or rider to trigger them.

Many avalanches fractured on a layer of weak, near surface facets that formed 1 to 2 weeks ago. This layer exists on all aspects in all areas. A few low elevation areas do not have it. When avalanches break on this layer, they can easily step down to facets near the ground. This scenario occurred yesterday on the "Wave" at Big Sky and two days ago in "Great Falls" at Moonlight Basin. Today, dangerous avalanche conditions exist on all slopes and the Avalanche Danger is CONSIDERABLE.

For Photos, Videos and More Detailed Information related to this report, Please Visit the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center.

The next advisory tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. If you have any snowpack or avalanche observations, drop us a line at mtavalanche@gmail.com or call us at: 406-587-6984.

~ EVENT ~

31st Annual Pinhead Classic

Come to Bridger Bowl on Saturday, March 17th (Saint Patrick's Day) with telemark skis, AT skis, alpine skis, snowboards, split boards, or even snow blades. The theme is Snowpocalypse based on the wildly popular Mayan 2012 apocalypse. $30 gets you into the races, a pint glass, t-shirt, a good time, a raffle ticket, and food by Cafe Fresco. Pre-register at Mystery Ranch or Grizzly Ridge: March 11-16. Visit http://pinheadclassic.com/ or the Pinhead Facebook Page for more info.

Beacon Parks

The Friends of the Avalanche Center installed a Beacon Training Park outside West Yellowstone. It's located south of town on the main snowmobile trail. Stop by and do a quick practice before heading off into the mountains!

EDUCATION, EVENTS, PHOTOS, SNOWPITS, and VIDEOS

1. We've recently uploaded more photos and snowpits to our web site, more than what are linked in the advisory.

2. We're creating a series of "How To…" stability test videos. So far we've got clips on performing a CT and ECT. There are located under Stability Tests on the Resources page.

3. Check out all our education programs, Click Here.

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