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. Also, see the Avalanche Advisory posted below.

Today: Breezy...snow. Snow accumulation of 3 to 6 inches. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent. Highs 29°F to 35°F.

Tonight: Breezy...snow. Snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Total snow accumulation 4 to 9 inches. West winds 15 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 90 percent. Lows 4°F to 10°F.

Monday: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. West winds around 15 mph. Highs 19°F to 25°F.

Monday Night: Mostly clear. Lows -2°F to 4°F.

Tuesday: Not as cold. Mostly sunny. Southwest winds around 15 mph in the afternoon. Highs 29°F to 35°F.

Tuesday Night: Not as cold. Mostly clear in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Lows 13°F to 19°F.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. Chance of snow in the morning...then chance of snow showers...possibly mixed with rain showers in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 40 percent. Highs 32°F to 38°F.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy. Chance of snow showers in the evening...then chance of snow after midnight. Chance of snow 50 percent. Lows 14°F to 20°F.

Thursday: Cloudy. Chance of snow in the morning...then chance of snow showers in the afternoon. Chance of snow 40 percent. Highs 27°F to 33°F.

Thursday Night: Cloudy. Chance of snow showers in the evening... Then chance of snow after midnight. Chance of snow 30 percent. Lows 13°F to 19°F.

Friday: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 26°F to 32°F.

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

Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs 29°F to 35°F.

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Mountain Weather

Overnight a trace of snow fell in the mountains. This morning temperatures are ranging from the mid-20s to low 30s Fahrenheit and winds are blowing 15 to 25 out of the West-southwest with gusts reaching 40 mph around Big Sky and Hyalite. Today, conditions will change drastically as a cold front moves over the area. The front will arrive mid-morning delivering gusty winds and a brief shot of snow. Winds will shift to the West-northwest after the frontal passage and temperatures will drop throughout the day. By tomorrow morning, 3 to 5 inches of snow will likely accumulate in the mountains around Bozeman, Big Sky and West Yellowstone. The mountains around Cook City will pick up 6 to 8 inches.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

Bridger, Gallatin, and Madison Ranges, Lionhead Area near West Yellowstone, and Cooke City:

Yesterday's warm temperatures reduced snow available for transport and helped stabilize recently formed wind slabs. On sun exposed slopes, the snow surface became damp and large pin wheels were observed in steep terrain. Unlike my sunburnt nose, north facing slopes managed to avoid the most adverse effects of above freezing temperatures and strong solar input. Last night, freezing temperatures worked their magic creating a crust on all but north facing slopes. This favors stability, but will make riding conditions marginal at best.

Thankfully, we have a storm on the doorstep. Today, avalanche problems will compound as conditions change. This morning, the primary avalanche concern will be buried persistent weak layers (photo, photo). As skiers and riders seek out soft snow, most likely on north facing slopes, they may encounter faceted layers buried 1 to 3 feet deep. Yesterday, Mark found a layer of facets a foot below the surface in the mountains around Cooke City. On Friday, a skier found a layer of buried surface hoar a foot below the surface on an east facing slope in Beehive Basin (photo). Skiers also got a large collapse and unstable results on a layer of surface hoar in Bacon Rind. Digging 2 to 3 feet down to assess the strength the distribution of buried weak layers is a fast and effective insurance policy before jumping into steep terrain.

As snow and wind increase through the day, wind slabs will become a concern. Upper elevation slopes leeward to west-northwest winds will see the most rapid loading. Fortunately this hazard is easy to recognize and avoid.

Today, human triggered avalanches are possible and the Avalanche Danger is rated MODERATE. However, increased snow and wind could bump the Avalanche Danger up to CONSIDERABLE on wind load slopes by this afternoon.

The next advisory tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM. 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.