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 clearing. Highs 23°F to 29°F.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 2°F to 8°F.

Sunday: Partly cloudy. Highs 22°F to 28°F.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 2°F to 8°F.

Monday / Martin Luther King Jr Day: Partly cloudy. Highs 25°F to 31°F.

Monday Night / Martin Luther King Jr Night: Mostly clear. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows 2°F to 10°F.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs 26°F to 32°F.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows 3°F to 13°F.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs 28°F to 34°F.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of snow. Lows 11°F to 17°F.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 19°F to 25°F.

Thursday Night: Colder. Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 2°F to 8°F.

Friday: Partly cloudy. Highs 20°F to 26°F.

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

Mountain Weather

Yesterday winds were gusting 40 to 60 mph but eased some this morning blowing westerly 10 to 30 mph. A slight inversion was in place this morning with mountain temperatures near 20 degrees Fahrenheit and valley temperatures in the teens Fahrenheit and just below zero Fahrenheit near West Yellowstone. A Northwest flow at the leading edge of a ridge of high pressure may bring a few clouds over Southwest Montana today. Temperatures will climb into the high 20s and low 30s Fahrenheit, and westerly winds will blow 10 to 30 mph.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

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

Yesterday, Eric and I found the last remaining powder in the Bridger Range just north of Bridger Bowl as well as evidence of strong winds from the last few days. We also found a layer of weak, faceted snow buried 6 to 16 inches deep (snowpit1, snowpit2). A good place to trigger an avalanche is where fresh wind slabs rest on this layer. Fortunately, wind slabs are easy to see and avoid. Also, this layer does not exist on many slopes but slopes that have it shouldn't be trusted. Finally, looking for and assessing this layer can be done really quickly because it is not buried very deeply. Dig several quick snowpits no more than two feet deep. See how in this video.

Doug was skiing just south of Cooke City yesterday. Although this area mostly lacks a similar layer of facets, he looked for it because it doesn't take much time and is lurking on a few slopes.

Travel advice today is simple. Avoid fresh drifts and wind slabs, and avoid steep slopes with a layer of weak facets buried 6 to 16 inches deep. If either problem is encountered, pick a different slope or one less than 30 degrees in steepness. Each of these avalanche problems makes human triggered avalanches possible today 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.