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: Mostly sunny unitl late afternoon then becoming partly cloudy. Highs 30 to 36.

Tonight: Partly cloudy in the evening...then mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow after midnight. Lows 13 to 19.

Monday: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Highs 29 to 35. Southwest winds around 15 mph in the afternoon.

Monday Night: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Lows 21 to 27. Southwest winds around 15 mph.

Tuesday: Cloudy. Snow likely in the morning...then chance of snow and rain in the afternoon. Snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Highs 32 to 38. Southwest winds around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 22 to 28.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow showers. Highs 37 to 43.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow showers. Lows 22 to 28.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow showers and rain showers. Highs 40 to 46.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain showers and snow showers. Lows 23 to 29.

Friday: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain showers and snow showers. Highs 40 to 46.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow showers and rain showers. Lows 21 to 27.

Saturday: Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Highs 37 to 43.

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

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Mountain Weather

At 4:00 AM mountain temperatures are ranging from the mid-teens to low twenties Fahrenheit and winds are blowing 10 to 20 mph out of the West-northwest. Today, clear skies and plenty of sunshine will allow temperatures to warm into the upper 20s to low 30s Fahrenheit. Winds will remain light this morning but will gradually increase through the day. Clouds will also increase this afternoon as the existing ridge of high pressure begins to break down. A weak weather disturbance will push into southwest Montana late tonight creating a chance of valley rain and mountain snow by tomorrow morning.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

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

The days are getting longer and the sun is getting stronger. Is this spring like pattern helping overall stability? The answer is – not really.

Technically, it's still winter and the snowpack continues exhibit winter like qualities. This means buried persistent weak layers and fresh wind slabs remain a concern. Yesterday, cool ambient air temperatures and a strong breeze kept the snow surface cold and dry at upper elevations. This allowed gusty northwest winds to transport available snow onto leeward slopes. Yesterday, the Big Sky Ski Patrol reported triggering fresh wind slabs 4 to 12 inches deep during control work. I also found wind loaded slopes to be the primary avalanche problem on my tour to Ernie Miller Ridge in the southern Madison Range (photo). Today, avoiding wind loaded slopes will be the best way to avoid triggering an avalanche.

A cold and dry snowpack also means buried persistent weak layers have yet to be affected by warming temperatures and strong solar input. Facets buried 2 to 3 feet deep continue to show up and propagate in stability tests (video, video). The main reason human triggered avalanches have declined on these layers is the lack of significant snowfall. On Friday, Mark could still make out the snowpit he dug 18 days ago on Cedar Mountain in the northern Madison Range. Without the stress of new snow, triggering a slide on deeper persistent weak layers is becoming increasingly difficult. However, the pack remains suspect – primarily in steep, rocky terrain. The best way to mitigate this problem is to dig snowpits and manage terrain wisely.

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, human triggered avalanches are possible on wind loaded slopes and slopes steeper than 35 degrees which have a MODERATE Avalanche Danger. Less steep, non-wind loaded slopes have a LOW Avalanche Danger.

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.