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: Partly cloudy in the morning...then mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow in the afternoon. Highs 2°F to 8°F. Lowest wind chill readings -22°F to -32°F in the morning.

Tonight: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Lows -6°F to 0°F.

Tuesday: Not as cold. Cloudy. Chance of snow in the morning...then slight chance of snow in the afternoon. Chance of snow 40 percent. Highs 13°F to 19°F.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows 1°F to 7°F.

Wednesday: Not as cold. Mostly sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs 20°F to 28°F.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows -1°F to 7°F.

Thursday: Mostly sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs 22°F to 28°F.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows -2°F to 8°F.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs 20°F to 28°F.

Friday Night: Mostly clear. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows 0°F to 10°F.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs 22°F to 28°F.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Lows 3°F to 11°F.

Sunday: Partly cloudy. Highs 23°F to 29°F.

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

Mountain Weather

Since yesterday morning a trace of new snow fell in the northern mountains while the southern mountains remained dry. Currently, temperatures are frigid at 10 to 15 below zero Fahrenheit and winds are blowing 5 to 15 mph out of the West-northwest with the exception of the Bridger Range where winds are blowing 15 to 25 mph. Today, the mercury will climb into the single digits above zero Fahrenheit under partly to mostly cloudy skies. Winds will remain out of West-northwest blowing 10 to 20 mph. There is a chance the winds could pick up this afternoon as a storm approaches from the north. Snow is likely tonight with 2 to 4 inches possible in the mountains around Bozeman and Big Sky. The mountains around West Yellowstone will see 1 to 3 inches and Cooke City will likely be the winner picking up 4 to 6 inches.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

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

The absence of significant snow and wind over the past 72 hours has allowed the snowpack to hit the reset button. Yesterday, my partner and I toured around Bacon Rind in the southern Madison Range and found a snowpack that was well adjusted to the most recent load (video, photo). This was a bit surprising, considering how weak the surface snow was just before the most recent storm. This was consistent with the observations Mark and I made in the Lionhead area on Saturday. Without going too far out on a limb, I feel confident saying the snowpack in this area is trending toward stability.

The layer of facets that formed during the first week of January can also be found in the mountains around Bozeman and Big Sky. However, the most recent load was not enough to cause a significant avalanche problem. This layer is least developed in the mountains around Cooke City.

Today, the primary avalanche concern throughout our advisory area will be wind loaded slopes. Although winds have not been consistently strong, localized wind events have formed slabs below ridgelines and on the lee side of exposed terrain features. In some areas wind slabs will be resting over a layer of facets. This layer is gaining strength, but on slopes where the load is more significant this layer could be reactive (photo). Wind slabs could also be resting over lower density snow that is not faceted. This type of instability is usually short lived, but could be a problem over the next few days. Recognizing and avoiding slopes that appear heavily loaded or wind affected will be the best way to stay out of trouble.

There is the possibility for a skier or rider to trigger a slide on a steep, non-wind loaded slope. This problem exists mostly in the southern mountains where a foot of snow rests over a known weak layer (photo). Evaluating the snowpack and terrain carefully is essential before committing to steeper slopes.

Today, human triggered avalanches are 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) 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.