Today: Snow and areas of blowing snow. Breezy, with a southwest wind between 20 and 23 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible. High near 25°F.

Tonight: Snow and areas of blowing snow before 11:00 am, then snow likely after 11:00 pm. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 21 to 24 mph decreasing to between 11 and 14 mph. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. Low around 4°F. Wind chill values as low as -15°F.

Thursday / March 1st: Snow likely. West southwest wind between 14 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. Cloudy, with a high near 20°F. Wind chill values as low as -15°F.

Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow, mainly before 11:00 pm. West northwest wind between 10 and 14 mph. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -8°F. Wind chill values as low as -25°F.

Friday: A 50 percent chance of snow. West northwest wind between 10 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 21°F.

Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow. West wind between 14 and 16 mph. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 5°F.

Saturday: Scattered snow showers. West southwest wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 27°F.

Saturday Night: Scattered snow showers. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12°F.

Sunday: A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 31°F.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 11°F.

Monday: A slight chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 31°F.

Monday Night: Scattered snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 8°F.

Tuesday: Scattered snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 26°F.

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

Mountain Weather

Yesterday two inches of snow fell in the southern mountains while the northern areas got a trace to one inch. Temperatures are in the high single digits Fahrenheit this morning with increasing southwest winds. Currently ridgetop winds are averaging 20-30 mph with gusts near 45 mph. Clouds will increase today, temperatures will not rise much and winds will continue to blow strong out of the southwest. Snowfall will start later this morning with accumulations of 2 to 4 inches in the southern mountains and 1 to 2 inches up north.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

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

The Bridger Range has weak snow. Most of the avalanches from Friday through Sunday released on large facets (depth hoar) near the ground. Many avalanches near Fairy and Frazier Lake (video), Saddle Peak, Wolverine Bowl (video) and others broke naturally with storm snow and also with the help of human triggers.

The mountains near Big Sky had limited natural avalanche activity, but weak snow was remotely triggered by skiers north of the ski areas this weekend. In one instance a low angled slope less than 35 degrees avalanched. Small grained facets buried 1.5 to 2 feet under the surface is the weakest layer on most slopes in southwest Montana. We found this also to be true above Hebgen Lake on Monday when we got cracking and collapsing as we skied (video, photo). Two inches of new snow (.2 inches SWE) around West Yellowstone and Cooke City, coupled with strong winds loading slopes, are enough to keep the snowpack on edge.

Although avalanche activity is diminishing, the snowpack is still weak, unstable and suspect until proven otherwise. Furthermore, strong west to southwest winds are building thick wind slabs that can be easily triggered. For today, the Avalanche Danger is rated CONSIDERABLE on all slopes.

The northern Gallatin and southern Madison Ranges:

The northern Gallatin Range, especially in Hyalite drainage, has slightly better stability than the surrounding areas. Facets at the ground are still easy to find, yet have gotten stronger with time. The layer of small grained facets buried 1.5 to 2 feet deep is our primary concern. The same holds true for the southern Madison Range. Mark was riding in Cabin Creek and Taylor Fork yesterday and only saw one small recent avalanche and one larger, but older slide on Skyline Ridge. His stability tests showed strengthening of the depth hoar and confirmed the presence of the smaller facets which propagated fractures (snowpit profile). Strong winds today will load slopes and add stress to this layer. Consequently, the Avalanche Danger is rated CONSIDERABLE on all slopes steeper than 35 degrees, and the Avalanche Danger is rated MODERATE on less steep slopes.

* * Accident Report * *

The accident reports for the avalanche fatality near Cooke City and the slide on Saddle Peak are now available. See this link.

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.

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

~ 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.