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. Highs 23°F to 29°F.

Tonight: Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows 0°F to 8°F.

Monday / Martin Luther King Jr Day: Mostly sunny. Southwest winds around 15 mph late in the afternoon. Highs 23°F to 29°F.

Monday Night / Martin Luther King Jr Night: Mostly clear. Southwest winds around 15 mph in the evening. Lows -1°F to 7°F.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Highs 25°F to 31°F.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 1°F to 9°F.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow in the afternoon. Highs 27°F to 33°F. Lowest wind chill readings -10°F to -20°F in the morning.

Wednesday Night: Breezy. Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 8°F to 14°F.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. Highs 17°F to 23°F.

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

Friday: Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 20°F to 26°F.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 6°F to 12°F.

Saturday: Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 25°F to 31°F.

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Mountain Weather

A ridge of high pressure off the pacific coast is producing a northwest flow over our area. Unfortunately, there is little moisture associated with this flow meaning southwest Montana will remain dry today. Currently, temperatures are in the high teens to low twenties Fahrenheit and winds are blowing 15 to 25 out of West-northwest. Today, temperatures will climb into the upper twenties Fahrenheit to low thirties Fahrenheit under partly cloudy skies and winds will remain 15 to 25 out of the West-northwest. No snow is expected over the next 24 hours.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

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

Finding fresh powder is becoming more challenging by the day. Lack of precipitation and strong winds have left very few slopes undisturbed (photo). This has been both a blessing and a curse for stability. On a positive note, consistent winds have helped to destroy or limit development of surface facets in many areas. This has allowed recently formed wind drifts to bond well to the old snow surface. Yesterday, I did a long tour around Hyalite and found generally stable conditions. Although snow quality was variable, we felt comfortable skinning and skiing most slopes up to 35 degrees. Doug also found good stability in Cooke City over the past two days.

While many slopes lack buried weak layers, some continue to harbor 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. Yesterday, my partner and I did experience one large collapse on a west facing, mid-elevation slope that was heavily wind loaded. This was the only sign of instability we received all day, but it was enough to make us change our travel plans.

Fortunately, looking for and assessing this weak layer can be done quickly (video). Digging a few snowpits in the area you plan to ride will help determine if this layer is present. If buried facets are found, pick a different slope or one less than 35 degrees in steepness.

Today, human triggered avalanches remain possible on wind loaded slopes and slopes steeper than 35 degrees which have a MODERATE Avalanche Danger. All other slopes have a LOW Avalanche Danger.

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.