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 / Martin Luther King Jr Day: Partly cloudy in the morning then clearing. Highs 24°F to 30°F.

Tonight / Martin Luther King Jr Night: Mostly clear. Lows 3°F to 11°F.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Highs 24°F to 30°F.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 6°F to 12°F.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy in the morning...then mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow in the afternoon. Southwest winds around 15 mph in the afternoon. Highs 25°F to 31°F.

Wednesday Night: Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 5°F to 11°F.

Thursday: Breezy. Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 16°F to 22°F.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 1°F to 7°F.

Friday: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 23°F to 29°F.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows 8°F to 14°F.

Saturday: Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly cloudy. Highs 25°F to 31°F.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 9°F to 15°F.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 25°F to 31°F.

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Mountain Weather

At 4:00 AM mountain temperatures are in the 20s Fahrenheit and winds are blowing 15 to 25 from the West-northwest. Today, temperatures will warm into the low 30s Fahrenheit under partly to mostly cloudy skies and winds will continue to blow 15 to 25 from the West-northwest. There is no chance for precipitation over the next 24 hours.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

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

It has been nearly a week since measurable snow has fallen over our advisory area. Despite the lack of precipitation, strong winds have been plentiful. This dry but windy pattern has blown snow into stiff hard slabs - now found on the leeward side of ridgelines and exposed terrain features (photo). On most slopes, dense slabs that formed earlier in the week have stabilized, but areas with wind deposited snow continue to deserve respect.

Yesterday, skiers near Lulu Pass outside of Cooke City observed a human triggered avalanche that occurred on a heavily wind loaded slope (photo). I also experienced a large collapse on a wind loaded slope while touring in Hyalite on Saturday. These blatant signs of instability are good reminders that pockets of unstable snow continue to linger.

The tricky part about this scenario is that most slopes are stable, but not all. Today, heightened avalanche conditions exist on slopes where wind deposited snow rests over a layer of facets formed in early January. Fortunately, this layer is not widespread and can be looked for and assessed quickly (video). If this layer is found, move to a different area or choose a slope with a lower angle.

Today, human triggered avalanches are 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.