Montana Daily Snow
By Bob Ambrose, Forecaster Posted 3 years ago February 26, 2021
Fresh Snow Continues across the Northern Rockies
Summary
Friday morning’s 24-hour snow totals have 16 inches at Lookout Pass, 14 at Lost Trail, 7 inches Whitefish, 6 Snowbowl and 4 inches at Blacktail and Showdown. Look for snow to continue for most mountains west of the Divide Friday and Friday night with an additional 4 to 12 inches. East of the Divide, 3 to 6 inches are likely by Saturday morning for most areas and resorts.
Short Term Forecast
West of the Continental Divide:
Friday: Snow continues in varying intensities with the heaviest snowfall for areas around and south of I-90, with another 4 to 8 inches falling at Snowbowl, Lookout and Lost Trail with 2 to 4 inches at Whitefish and Blacktail during the day. Discovery will just be too far east but still looks to pick up 1 to 3 inches. Temps will remain seasonable across the region.
Saturday: Overnight Friday another 1 to 3 inches are likely for most mountain locations across the Westside by first chair Saturday. For Saturday, a mix of clouds and flurries with trace amounts of up to an inch possible. Seasonable daytime temps will keep the snow cold with highs across the upper terrain of around 20 degrees. There is a good possibility that snow bands could develop along the I-90 corridor and if so, areas in vicinity of I-90 could see anywhere for 1 to 4 inches.
Sunday: Clearing with a mix of sun and clouds with warming daytime temps with upper mountain highs in the mid to upper 20’s.
Monday: Cloudy skies with sporadic sunny spells will likely be the story for Monday along with warming daytime temperatures.
East of the Continental Divide:
Friday: Periods of snow during the day will bring light amounts of 1 to 3 inches for Big Sky, Bridger, Great Divide and Teton Pass with 3 to 5 inches at Showdown. Red Lodge might see flurries but no accumulations likely. Temps will continue to be cold but just slightly below seasonable.
Saturday: Cloudy skies with snow showers with a skiff to 2 inches possible across the southwest mountains (Big Sky, Bridger, Maverick), along with continued cold daytime temps. Other areas, clouds and flurries. Expect upper mountain highs of 13 to 20 degrees. To the east, Red Lodge will see cloudy skies and snow showers with around an inch possible.
Sunday: High pressure brings sunny skies across the Eastside for Sunday along with slightly warmer daytime temps with highs in the low to mid 20’s across the upper terrain.
Monday: High pressure looks to stick around Monday with a mix of sun and clouds with a few flurries possible. Temps will be a few degrees warmer but right around seasonable for March 1st.
Below: Thursday afternoon freshies at Whitefish...
Image: Courtesy of WMR
Extended Forecast
West of the Continental Divide:
For Tuesday through Thursday next week it’s either high pressure ridging bringing sunny skies with continued warming temps or unsettled skies with colder but seasonable temps. Besides that, no large storm systems are expected through Friday.
East of the Continental:
High pressure is favored by weather models for the Eastside looking to bring a drying trend with warming temperatures to above seasonal averages Tuesday through Friday.
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
Flathead Avalanche Center
http://www.flatheadavalanche.org
Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center:
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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