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.

Today: Breezy...cloudy. Occasional flurries in the morning...then chance of snow in the afternoon. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 50 percent. Highs 17°F to 23°F.

Tonight: Breezy. Snow likely in the evening...then chance of snow after midnight. Areas of blowing snow through the night. Snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 60 percent. Lows 10°F to 16°F.

Tuesday: Breezy. Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Areas of blowing snow. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph. Highs 22°F to 28°F.

Tuesday Night: Breezy. Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Areas of blowing snow. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph. Lows 13°F to 19°F.

Wednesday: Breezy. Mostly cloudy. Occasional flurries. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph. Highs 27°F to 33°F.

Wednesday Night: Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 13°F to 19°F.

Thursday: Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 21°F to 27°F.

Thursday Night: Colder. Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 3°F to 9°F.

Friday: Colder...cloudy. Chance of snow in the morning...then slight chance of snow in the afternoon. Chance of snow 30 percent. Highs 5°F to 11°F.

Friday Night: Colder. Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows -1°F to 7°F.

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

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows -5°F to 1°F.

Sunday: Not as cold. Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of snow in the morning...then chance of snow in the afternoon. Chance of snow 30 percent. Highs 12°F to 18°F.

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

Mountain Weather

Over the past 24 hours 1 to 2 inches of snow has fallen over much of the forecast area except for the Bridger Range which squeezed out a trace. Currently, temperatures are in the teens Fahrenheit under mostly cloudy skies and winds are blowing 15 to 30 out of West-northwest. Today, temperatures will warm into the mid to upper 20s Fahrenheit and winds will remain out of the west blowing 15 to 30 mph. A stronger storm system is scheduled to arrive this afternoon bringing an increased chance of snow to the mountains. 2 to 4 inches is likely by tomorrow morning with the exception of the Bridger Range which will see 1 to 2 inches.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

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

Today, skiing or riding in avalanche terrain will be like approaching an unfamiliar dog - best bet is to assess the situation before getting up close and personal. Riding in avalanche terrain today will likely be uneventful - yet, there's always the possibility of a surprise bite.

In most cases, when you're surprised by avalanches, it means mistakes were made. Reducing the chance for surprises today will involve a quick but careful assessment of the snowpack. If the area you plan to ride feels slabby, punchy, hollow - or to sum it up 'variable' - you'll want to use extra caution when entering steeper slopes, especially those with high consequences. There may be a rogue wind slab resting over faceted snow, making human triggered avalanches possible (photo). The combination of a wind slab over facets produced a human triggered avalanche in the Hourglass chute north of Bridger Bowl on Thursday (video, video, photo).

If you find a slope where 3 to 5 inches of near surface facets and/or surface hoar is masquerading as powder, then you will likely enjoy a smooth and soft run avalanche free. I found soft riding near Hebgen Lake and in Bacond Rind on Saturday. Yesterday, skiers near Flathead Pass in the northern Bridger Range also found faceted snow on the surface and got ECT's to propagate about 30 cm's off the ground. Because deep weak layers are not widespread and it's been nearly two weeks since the last significant snowfall, triggering an avalanche on weak layers near the ground is unlikely.

* * Changing Conditions * *

Southwest Montana will be in a fairly active weather pattern for the next 4 to 5 days. Although snow totals will be less than a foot, winds are forecasted to increase Tuesday through Thursday. With a widespread and well developed weak layer on the surface it will not take much snow and wind to increase the avalanche hazard (photo, video). If you are heading into the backcountry pay close attention to changing conditions and never be afraid to alter the riding agenda.

Today, small avalanches are possible in isolated areas and the Avalanche Danger is rated LOW.

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) and (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.