Advisory Archive

Since Tuesday morning the mountains received 10-12” around West Yellowstone and Cooke City, and  1-4” near Big Sky and Bozeman. Strong east winds on Tuesday shifted west and south yesterday, calming to 10-15 mph with gusts of 25-35 mph this morning. Temperatures will remain chilly with highs only reaching the teens and 20s F through the weekend. Winds will remain moderate and generally westerly for the next few days. An inch or two of snow are possible around West Yellowstone today before conditions turn dry until at least the middle of next week.

Since yesterday morning the mountains received 7-10” of new snow with the highest amounts near Big Sky, West Yellowstone and Cooke City. Yesterday, wind was south to southwest at 15-25 mph with gusts of 40-60 mph, and today wind has lessened to 10-15 mph with gusts of 20-35 mph. Temperatures will reach high 20s to low 30s today, except near Bozeman where they will remain in the teens to low 20s F. Over the next couple days, temperatures will gradually cool to single digits and near zero F by Thursday, and winds will be light to moderate and generally out of the south to east. More snow is expected tonight with 3-7” by morning and another 2-4” during the day tomorrow.

In the last 24 hours the mountains around West Yellowstone and Cooke City received 10” of snow, and it’s still snowing. Areas around Big Sky, Hyalite and the Bridger Range got 2-3”. Wind is averaging 15-30 mph with gusts hitting 50. It is blowing out of the SE in the Bridger Range and SW-W everywhere else. Today, expect another inch or two in the northern areas and 6” in the southern mountains. Winds will remain strong with temperatures in the 20s F. A little snowfall Sunday night will turn into a snowstorm on Monday. Stay tuned, and in the meantime put fresh batteries in your beacon, test your airbag and dust off your helmet. Winter’s footsteps are getting louder.

Winter returned yesterday after a mild week. The mountains near Big Sky and Bozeman received 4-7” of snow with 1-3” near West Yellowstone and Cooke City. Winds are 5-15 mph from the west to northwest and temperatures are in the teens F. Lingering snow showers will exit the area this morning and winds be 5-10 mph from the north to the west with temperatures in the teens to 20s F. Another storm arrives on Friday with a snowy and cool week projected.

For current weather data, check our weather stations in Cooke City, Hyalite, Lionhead and on Sawtelle Peak near Island Park, ID. Also, utilize the ski area weather stations from the Yellowstone Club, Big Sky and Bridger Bowl, and SNOTEL sites throughout our advisory area. We will also update the Weather and Avalanche Log daily throughout the fall.

After the big storm last weekend, snowfall tapered off on Monday night leaving an additional couple inches near West Yellowstone and Cooke City. Through the rest of the week there were occasional flurries without substantial accumulation. High temperatures in the mountains have been right around freezing. The coming days will bring continued cool, dry conditions and moderate winds, with perhaps a bit more sun than this past week. The next chance for snow isn’t until the middle of next week.

For current weather data, check our weather stations in Cooke City, Hyalite, Lionhead and on Sawtelle Peak near Island Park, ID. Also, utilize the ski area weather stations from Big Sky, Bridger Bowl and Yellowstone Club, and SNOTEL sites throughout our advisory area. We will also update the Weather and Avalanche Log daily throughout the fall..

This weekend, rain turned to snow across the advisory area and the ranges near Bozeman and Big Sky received 20-30” of new snow and 10” near West Yellowstone and Cooke City. The first half of the week will bring 20-35 MPH winds from the northwest to the southwest. The Cooke City and West Yellowstone areas will get 3-7” of snow by Thursday morning with lighter accumulation in the mountains near Bozeman and Big Sky. Mountain temperatures will remain in the 20s to mid-30s F through the week.  

For current weather data, check our weather stations in Cooke City, Hyalite, Lionhead and on Sawtelle Peak near Island Park, ID. Also, utilize the ski area weather stations from Big Sky, Bridger Bowl and Yellowstone Club, and SNOTEL sites throughout our advisory area. We will update the Weather and Avalanche Log daily and issue pre-season bulletins as needed.

Well, that was a fast transition - welcome to winter! Rain switched to snow on Friday night and has piled up across the advisory area. Snowfall totals range from just a couple inches at lower elevations up to 1.5-2 ft at SNOTEL sites (7000-9000 ft) and likely even deeper at higher elevations. Snow water equivalent totals range from 1.7” in the Bridger Range and Cooke City up to 3.4” in Taylor Fork (see the Weather and Avalanche Log for specifics). Snowfall will continue today, favoring the Big Sky area with up to another foot falling by tomorrow morning. Temperatures will stay cool with chances for snowfall continuing through mid-week.

Change is coming. The beautiful fall weather we’ve been basking in is coming to an end. A pattern shift will occur this weekend. Expect colors in the mountains to shift from green and gold to white. For current weather data check our weather stations in Cooke City, Hyalite, Lionhead and our new station on Sawtelle Peak near Island Park, ID., as well as Bridger Bowl’s weather stations, and SNOTEL sites throughout our advisory area. As snow begins to fall we’ll update the Weather and Avalanche Log daily and issue pre-season bulletins as needed.

Spring weather can be highly variable and create a mix of avalanche problems to watch for. Snow conditions and snow stability can change drastically from day to day or hour to hour. Anticipate rapid change and plan accordingly. Plenty of snowfall over the winter with more spring snow to come makes avalanches possible into summer.