West of the Continental Divide:

Monday morning’s snow reports have delivered 3 overnight inches at Lookout with 1 inch at Whitefish and Snowbowl. Expect snow during the day Monday at all these areas with the heaviest accumulations falling at Lookout and Snowbowl with 4 to 6 inches likely. Whitefish, which has been just north of the heavier moisture feeds in February will see 1 to 3 inches. Whitefish will also experience strong W/SW winds with gusts to 50 mph on the summit. Discovery will see snow showers with 1 to 2 inches possible. Seasonally warm temps will have snow levels in the 5000’ vicinity. It will also be a very windy day across the high terrain on Monday with gusty West/SW winds to 50 mph possible.

Monday night, better chances of more widespread snow across the region as a cold front merges with residual Pacific moisture that looks to bring around 4 to 8 inches at Discovery, Snowbowl and Lookout with 2 to 4 at Whitefish. Snow continues Tuesday with another 1 to 3 inches likely for all. Daytime temps come crashing back down to seasonable averages Tuesday. West winds will be gusty across the ridgetops finally laying down a bit during the afternoon hours.

A brief break with dry skies and numerous sunny spells on Wednesday along with upper mountain daytime highs in the low 20’s. Upper mountain winds (W/SW) will finally calm down across the region.

Active weather returns Thursday when a complex low pressure system enters the region with widespread snow showers that look to bring an inch or three to most areas across the region with slightly higher amounts at Lookout Pass.

Friday, unsettled skies continue with periods of snow, mainly around and south of I-90, with continued seasonable daytime temps.

East of the Continental Divide:

Monday will be a windy and mild day with gusty SW winds at Big Sky, Bridger and Red Lodge that could likely affect upper mountain lift ops with wind holds. Gusts of over 40 mph will be likely across the ridgetops. Skies will be partly cloudy with upper mountain high temps rising to near 32 degrees, with 40 degrees at Red Lodge.

A vigorous cold front invades Monday night into Tuesday triggering snow (and more winds) with moderate amounts of 4 to 8 inches likely for Big Sky and 2 to 4 at Bridger Bowl through last chair Tuesday. Red Lodge will see a slight chance of an inch or two. Temps will be about 10 to 15 degrees colder on Tuesday, but strong West winds will be a factor across the high terrain gusting to around 45 mph.   

A mix of some sun and clouds, colder daytime temps and even a few flurries will be the story for Wednesday and Thursday across the Eastside. High temps across the upper mountain terrain will range from 12 to 18 degrees across the region.

A Pacific storm system rides through Thursday night into Friday bringing back measurable snow into the forecast for the SW mountains of Big Sky, Bridger and Maverick. Temps will continue to be cold but seasonable keeping the excellent snow quality in check. Stay tuned for updates on this developing storm system.

Below: The Canadian Model's animation for snowfall Monday through Saturday portrays the most confident storm track and likely snowfall scenarios. 

 

West of the Continental Divide:

Friday night into Saturday colder air drawn in by Friday’s storm system will bring back measurable snow amounts in the 3 to 5 inch range from Lookout Pass south to Lost Trail Pass. Lesser amounts are expected at Snowbowl and Discovery with Blacktail and Whitefish largely missing out on any accumulations.

Dreaded high-pressure is depicted to move in Sunday into early next week drying things out for several days.

East of the Continental Divide:

Snow continues across the SW and along the Divide on Saturday adding another several inches to our growing snowpack. A reinforcement of colder air on Saturday will accompany the snow as well keeping daytime highs in the low to upper teens across the region’s high terrain.

Models are coming to better agreement on a ridge of high-pressure that looks to bring dry skies and a warming trend to the region Sunday through the middle of next week.  

Below: Snowpack percentages by river basins across Montana are looking healthy once again.

Powder Out -

Bob 

Montana Ski Areas & Resorts / Geographical References   

WEST of the Divide: 

Whitefish Mountain Resort – OPEN daily

Blacktail Mountain – OPEN Weds – Sun.  

Turner Mountain – OPEN Fri.-Sun.

Lookout Pass (MT/ID)  -OPEN daily  

Montana Snowbowl –OPEN daily

Discovery Basin –OPEN daily

Lost Trail Powder Mountain –OPEN Thurs-Sun

EAST of the Divide:

Big Sky Resort – OPEN daily

Bridger Bowl – OPEN daily

Red Lodge Mountain – OPEN daily

Great Divide – OPEN Weds – Sun.   

Showdown – OPEN Weds – Sun.

Teton Pass Ski Area – NOW OPEN FRI. thru SUN.  

Maverick Mountain – OPEN Thurs-Sun.– call before you go (406) 834-3454

Backcountry Avalanche Reports:

West Central Montana Avalanche Center

http://missoulaavalanche.org 

 Flathead Avalanche Center

 http://www.flatheadavalanche.org

Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center:

http://www.mtavalanche.com

NEW: Avalanche Forecasts

Many folks have requested this over the past year and we're excited to now show avalanche forecasts for regions across North America. 

You can use our map view to see a quick overview of the avalanche forecast conditions and you can also go back in time for the last 7 days to see how the avalanche conditions have changed by using the slider at the bottom of the map.

Also, we integrated the avalanche forecast into each mountain location page under a new tab called "Avalanche Forecast". 

The avalanche forecasts are freely available and are the foundation of any backcountry experience. Please check these forecasts each time you head out of controlled terrain! 

You can view the avalanche forecasts right now on our website and they will be live on our iPhone and Android apps very soon.