Montana Daily Snow

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By Bob Ambrose, Forecaster Posted 3 years ago February 24, 2021

Snowy February Continues

Summary

Snow bands, narrow horizontal condensed clouds of heavy snow showers have set up Wednesday morning dropping 2 to 4 inches at many ski areas along and in close proximity to the I-90 corridor. Our next system will mainly affect the mountains west of the Divide with up to a foot by Friday evening. East of the Divide will see totals of 2 to 4 inches.

Short Term Forecast

West of the Continental Divide:

Wednesday morning, snow bands in a line, basically along I-90 from Lookout Pass to Deer Lodge have brought 2 to 5 inches at Lookout, Snowbowl and Discovery. Up north at Blacktail who have been closed Monday and Tuesday, 8 inches (since Sunday night) await pow seekers there. Look for another inch or two at the ski areas along the I-90 corridor this morning with an afternoon mix of sun and clouds. For Whitefish and Blacktail, brief break Wednesday with sunny skies along with upper mountain daytime highs in the upper teens. Upper mountain winds (N/NW) will be in the 5 to 10 mph range.

Active weather returns Thursday when moisture associated with a cold front enters the region from the northwest with widespread snow that looks to bring 2 to 5 inches to areas along and north of I-90. Snow will overspread the rest of the region Thursday night with overnight snow totals of 2 to 4 inches for most with 4 to 8 inches at Lookout Pass. Temps will stay seasonable.     

Friday, unsettled skies continue with periods of snow, mainly around and south of I-90, with another 2 to 4 inches falling during the day. To the north at Whitefish and Blacktail and Turner, a skiff to an inch likely. Temps will remain seasonable.

Saturday looks to bring a mix of clouds and flurries with trace amounts possible along with continued seasonable daytime temps with highs across the upper terrain around 20 degrees.    

East of the Continental Divide:

24 hour reported new snow Wednesday morning had 6 inches at Showdown, 5 inches Red Lodge with 4 inches Bridger Bowl and 1 inch at Big Sky. Conditions remain stellar across the Eastside. A mix of some sun and clouds on Wednesday with colder daytime temps with high temps across the upper mountain terrain of 12 to 16 degrees across the region.  

After a fairly benign Thursday with cloudy skies, chilly temps and increasing SW winds, a weakening storm system rides through late Thursday night into Friday bringing chances of light amounts (1 to 3 inches) for Big Sky, Bridger, Showdown, and Teton Pass. Temps will continue to be cold but right around seasonable, keeping the excellent snow quality in check.

Cloudy skies with snow showers look to be the general forecast for Saturday across the region with a skiff to an inch possible along with continued cold daytime temps with upper mountain highs of 13 to 20 degrees. Red Lodge could see 1 to 2 inches possible.

Below: The Canadian model for snowfall Wednesday through midnight Saturday best portrays the short term forecast across the Treasure State. 

Extended Forecast

West of the Continental Divide:

High-pressure will move in briefly on Sunday delivering partly sunny skies across the Westside along with seasonal daytime temps.

For early next week, the model runs have been changing daily and are not quite clear in identifying basic parameters just yet. For the most part, it looks like a mix of sun and clouds with occasional flurries will be part of the forecast Monday through Wednesday.   

East of the Continental Divide:

High pressure brings sunny skies across the Eastside for Sunday along with slightly warmer daytime temps with highs in the mid 20’s across the upper terrain.

High pressure looks to stick around early next week with a mix of sun and clouds with a few flurries likely for Monday through Wednesday. Thanks for reading.  

Powder Out –

Bob

 

Announcements

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.

About Our Forecaster

Bob Ambrose

Forecaster

Ever since his early days as a ski racer on the icy slopes of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, Bob chased his dreams of deep powder west to Tahoe and finally Montana. A self-proclaimed 'weather junkie', his passion for maps, charts, and forecasts always lead him to the best snow in Montana.

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