Today: Breezy, with a southwest wind between 20 and 26 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Partly sunny, with a high near 36°F.

Tonight: A 50% chance of snow, mainly after 11:00 pm. Breezy, with a southwest wind between 23 and 29 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21°F.

Tuesday: Snow showers likely. Breezy, with a west wind 22 to 25 mph decreasing to between 14 and 17 mph. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. Cloudy, with a high near 27°F.

Tuesday Night: Snow likely, mainly before 11:00 pm. Blustery, with a north northwest wind between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 1°F. Wind chill values as low as -15°F.

Wednesday: North northeast wind between 8 and 10 mph. Sunny, with a high near 23°F.

Wednesday Night: North northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm. Mostly clear, with a low around -2°F.

Thursday: Calm wind. Sunny, with a high near 34°F.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 8°F.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 38°F.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 12°F.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 38°F.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 10°F.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37°F.

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

Mountain Weather

If you liked yesterday's weather, you'll love today's. Mountain temperatures reached the mid-30s Fahrenheit at the ridgetops, but hit 40 Fahrenheit at mid elevations under sunny skies. Today will be 5 to 10 degrees warmer. Winds will continue blowing out of the west at 25-40 mph. Tonight will become cloudy and tomorrow a fast moving front will cool things off and bring snow to the mountains. Behind this system is more sun, warmth and spring-like weather lasting through next weekend.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

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

There were many avalanches and signs of instability over the weekend. Yesterday the Yellowstone Club Ski Patrol saw slides on Cedar Mountain, one triggered by a snowmobiler who launched onto a wind-loaded slope midday. They sent in three crisp pictures of the avalanche activity. A skier in the southern Madison Range this weekend saw upwards of 20 crowns in the backcountry, many recent and some reaching six feet deep. On Saturday he was able to trigger a slope with a cornice drop that broke 18 inches deep on the new/old snow interface. On many slopes avalanches broke on a layer of small facets buried two to three feet under the surface. He also saw two natural avalanches release on a south-facing slope that ran over 1,000 feet vertical.

I was in the Bridger Range yesterday. I dug a pit on the west side near the top of Truman Gulch and was not psyched about what I found. It was basically garbage. Large depth hoar is poorly supporting three or more feet of snow. It was breaking easy in my stability tests (video, photo). I also saw four older crowns. My concern is that a person could trigger an avalanche on these large facets which would propagate into deeper, wind-loaded terrain. These wind-loads are not just at the ridgetops; over the weekend mid-mountain winds created drifts on the edges of many gullies. My partner and I then hiked to the top of Saddle Peak with the intention of digging a pit near the south summit. Winds scoured the ridgeline (photo) and filled in the crown from the human triggered slide on February 24. I was nervous about getting on the slope since it reloaded, so I retreated.

It's not all gloom and doom out there. The probability of triggering avalanches is steadily decreasing, but given the poor snow structure the odds won't hit zero anytime soon. Facets at the ground and a thin layer two to three feet under the surface are here for a while longer. Slopes with wind-loading from this weekend are still susceptible to avalanching. For today, the Avalanche Danger is rated CONSIDERABLE on wind-loaded slopes as well as any slope steeper than 35 degrees. All other terrain has a MODERATE Avalanche Danger.

   WET SNOW AVALANCHES   

Above freezing temperatures yesterday melted the snow surface on many sun exposed slopes. Wet avalanches were seen in the gullies up Hyalite and also at the ski areas. Today will be even warmer and direct solar radiation will again melt the upper few inches of the snowpack. Wet loose snow slides will increase throughout the day and possibly act as triggers for deeper avalanches.

* * Accident Report * *

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

* * * Last Saturday Francis Skierka from Cut Bank, Montana died in an avalanche in northwestern Montana near Marias Pass. Sadly his wife, Andrea, is pregnant and due in two months. A memorial fund to help Andrea and her baby has been established: The Francis Skierka Family Memorial, Stockman Bank, 125 West Main, Cut Bank MT 59427, 406-873-9400. * * *

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.