Caution advised for snow falling off of building roofs. Park accordingly.

Dangerous avalanche conditions may already exist in many back country areas, please call the Recorded Avalanche Advisory 406-587-6981 for the most current conditions. Also, see the Avalanche Advisory posted below.

Today: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. Northeast winds around 15 mph until late afternoon. Highs 22°F to 28°F.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of snow. North winds around 15 mph in the evening becoming north around 15 mph early in the morning. Lows 4°F to 10°F.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. North winds around 15 mph in the morning becoming north around 15 mph late in the afternoon. Highs 13°F to 19°F.

Sunday Night: Colder. Partly cloudy. North winds around 15 mph in the evening. Lows -3°F to -9°F.

Monday: Partly cloudy. Highs 16°F to 22°F. Lowest wind chill readings -15°F to -25°F in the morning.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows -1°F to 5°F.

Tuesday: Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 18°F to 24°F.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. Lows 8°F to 14°F.

Wednesday: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Highs 20°F to 26°F.

Wednesday Night: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Lows 5°F to 11°F.

Thursday: Cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. Highs 14°F to 20°F.

Thursday Night: Colder. Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. Lows -3°F to 3°F.

Friday: Partly cloudy. Highs 18°F to 24°F.

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Mountain Weather

Since yesterday morning a trace to one inch of snow fell in the mountains around Big Sky and West Yellowstone; all other areas remained dry. Currently, temperatures are ranging from the single digits to low teens Fahrenheit and winds are blowing 5 to 15 mph out of the East-northeast. Today, temperatures will warm into the 20s Fahrenheit under partly to mostly cloudy skies and winds will blow 5 to 15 from the North-northeast. A Canadian cold front with a limited amount of moisture will impact our area tonight into tomorrow. The mountains around Bozeman, Big Sky and Cooke City will likely see 2 to 4 inches of snow by tomorrow afternoon. The mountains around West Yellowstone will pick up 1 to 3 inches.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

Cooke City:

Consistent snowfall in the mountains around Cooke City has kept the development of persistent weak layers to a minimum. Mark rode this area the past few days and found a generally strong and stable snowpack (video). While most slopes offer green light conditions, there are a few areas to look out for. Mid to low elevation slopes where the snowpack is thinner hold the weakest snowpack structure (photo). Be cautious when riding in these areas, specifically around creek beds or steep gullies. In upper elevation terrain, there is the possibility a stubborn old wind slab could pop loose under the weight of skier or rider, but this scenario is becoming less likely the longer we go without snow and wind.

Today, generally safe avalanche conditions exist and the Avalanche Danger is rated LOW.

Bridger, Gallatin, and Madison Ranges, Lionhead area near West Yellowstone:

Long dry spells interrupted by heavy snowfall is not ideal. Preferably, snow should accumulate a few inches at a time, 3 to 4 days a week. This allows the snowpack to build gradually without persistent weak layers. Unfortunately, this type of scenario does not define our current situation in southwest Montana. Instead, our snowpack has been formed by a weather pattern resembling something created by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

This manic madness has produced a snowpack chock-full of spatial variability. On some slopes the snowpack is deep and stable; but on others, faceted snow buried 1 to 3 feet deep remains a concern.

In the mountains around West Yellowstone, a layer of facets buried 1 to 2 feet deep can be found on most aspects and elevations. This layer is most pronounced on slopes facing the southern half of the compass but also exists on shadier aspects. Though this layer is gaining strength, it continues to command respect. Digging snowpits and doing stability tests is highly recommended when riding in these areas.

In the mountains around Bozeman and Big Sky buried facets are not as widespread, but can be found in isolated areas. Mid to low elevation terrain like Mount Ellis in the northern Gallatin Range and Yellow Mountain near Big Sky will be likely places to find an unstable snowpack. In upper elevation terrain, slopes that had a thinner snowpack prior to last week's storms will be the most likely to hold buried facets 2 to 3 feet deep (photo).

Although avalanches are becoming harder to trigger, buried weak layers continue to make human triggered avalanches possible and the Avalanche Danger is rated MODERATE.

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.

EDUCATION, PHOTOS, SNOWPITS, and VIDEOS

1. For links to Articles, Education and (photos), (snowpits), or (videos) listed in the above report, please visit this Link.

2. They have recently uploaded more photos and snowpits to their web site, more than what are linked in the advisory above.

3. They have creating a series of "How To…" stability test videos. So far they have clips on performing a CT and ECT. They are located under Stability Tests on their Resources page.

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.