This is Mark Staples with the avalanche forecast for Wednesday, March 12th, at 7:00 a.m. sponsored by Highline Partners and Cooke City Super 8/Bearclaw Bob’s. This forecast does not apply to operating ski areas.
Strong winds with snow coming late tomorrow is the main weather story. Winds yesterday averaged 25-35 mph gusting to 50 from the west and southwest. They eased a little this morning but will be picking up again today similar to yesterday except coming more from the south.
Temperatures today are starting in the mid-20s F and will warm into the upper 20s to low 30s F depending on cloud cover which will be increasing through the day.
Snow arrives tomorrow but mostly falls tomorrow night. Many mountain locations will get 3-5 inches with the most snow falling near West Yellowstone and Island Park. By Friday morning, the Centennial Range could have 12-24 inches. Strong winds continue Thursday but should be lighter Friday and Saturday before they ramp up again.
But wait, there’s more! For the next week or two, the weather will remain quite active with snow and wind and a series of low pressure troughs (aka storms) lined up to roll across the area.
All Regions
It’s getting harder to find soft snow as a result of warm temperatures and very strong winds. It’s also unlikely to trigger an avalanche. While skiing in the Bridgers yesterday, my partner and I found very hard drifts and wind slabs that seemed welded into place. However, we skied around them because I don’t like messing with avalanches.
Wind slabs will be the main thing to steer clear of today. Despite recent very strong winds, they have moved minimal snow as Ian found in the northern Bridgers yesterday. Seek out soft snow on shady slopes untouched by wind for the safest and best riding conditions.
Near West Yellowstone, a persistent slab avalanche problem is mostly dormant. However the weak layer of facets 2-3 feet deep may start to wake up sometime in the near future if enough snow piles up.
Today the avalanche danger is LOW.
Upcoming Avalanche Education and Events
Avalanche awareness focused on springtime avalanche conditions: Thursday, March 13 at the Bozeman REI from 6-7:30 p.m. The event is free but has limited space and requires registration HERE.