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: Partly cloudy in the morning then clearing. Highs 28 to 34. North winds around 15 mph in the morning and afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 6 to 12.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. Patchy fog early in the morning. Highs 30 to 36.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. Lows 14 to 20.

Monday: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of snow in the morning...then chance of snow in the afternoon. Highs 30 to 36. Southwest winds around 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of snow 40 percent.

Monday Night: Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 20 to 26.

Tuesday: Cloudy. Chance of snow in the morning...then chance of snow or rain in the afternoon. Highs 34 to 40. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 21 to 27.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of snow in the morning...then slight chance of rain and snow in the afternoon. Highs 37 to 43. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 22 to 28.

Thursday: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of snow in the morning...then slight chance of rain and snow in the morning...then slight chance of rain and snow in the afternoon. Highs 39 to 45. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows 21 to 27.

Friday: Partly cloudy in the morning...then mostly cloudy with slight chance of rain and snow in the afternoon. Highs 37 to 43. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.

All Temperatures (Highs and Lows) are in degrees Fahrenheit (°F). All Sub Zero Temperatures are Highlighted.

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Mountain Weather

Over the past 24 hours the mountains around West Yellowstone and Cooke City including the southern Madison Range picked up 2 to 3 inches of snow. The mountains around Big Sky picked up around one inch while the Bridger Range remained dry. Currently, temperatures are in the mid-teens to low twenties Fahrenheit and winds are blowing 5 to 15 mph out of the Northwest. Today, temperatures will warm into the upper twenties to low thirties Fahrenheit under clear skies and winds will stay light out the Northwest. Beautiful weather is on the books for the next 24 hours.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

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

I've recently been asked - where are human triggered avalanches most likely? This is a tricky question - and there is more than one answer.

Today - human triggered avalanches will be possible on wind loaded slopes. Upper elevation slopes below ridgelines or on the leeward side of cross loaded terrain features deserve special attention. Wind slabs will be most common above tree-line; however, forested slopes may also hold wind deposited snow. Rounded wind pillows and cornices are visual clues of active wind loading. Although wind slabs are gradually stabilizing, I wouldn't bet the farm that a wind loaded slope would stay put under the weight of a skier or rider - especially in high consequence terrain.

A more insidious problem is buried persistent weak layers. Like a blister on the heel, facets buried 2 to 3 feet deep continue to be a nagging concern (video). Yesterday, Mark and I toured around Cedar Mountain in the northern Madison Range. We found many stable slopes, but we also found facets willing to propagate in stability tests (snowpit). Areas where the snowpack is thin, primarily around scoured ridgelines or in steep-rocky terrain will be likely places to find weak snow. Also, mid to low elevation slopes where the snowpack is less than a meter deep may hold unstable conditions. Digging snowpits and doing stability tests is the best way to stack the deck in your favor (video).

Another problem: Cornices have grown very large and can break farther back than one might expect. Giving cornices a wide berth when traveling along ridgelines is a wise idea (photo, photo).

Today – heightened avalanche conditions exist on specific terrain features making human triggered avalanches are possible. For this reason the Avalanche Danger is rated MODERATE.

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.