Advisory Archive

Crazy weather this morning. Temperatures range from -20 F in the Bridger Range to -10F in Big Sky to +21 F on Lionhead near West Yellowstone. The mountains near Bozeman and Big Sky received 1-3 inches of snow since yesterday, near West Yellowstone 7 inches, near Cooke City 10 inches. Believe it or not, winds in the mountains are blowing less than they are in some valley locations. Most mountain weather stations have winds blowing 10 mph gusting 15-25 mph from the SW; however, the Bridger Range has a very cold E wind.

Today temperatures shouldn’t change much and late today winds should shift to the W and slowly start pushing this stationary cold front out of the area. There should be a little warming tomorrow and much warmer temperatures by Monday. Cooke City may get a few inches of snow today while the rest of the area should see snow but little accumulation. A better chance of snow returns sometime Sunday mainly for the southern areas

Snowfall started yesterday late afternoon. Since then, 6-8 inches has fallen near Bozeman and Big Sky and Cooke City, and 2 inches has fallen near West Yellowstone. In the Bridger Range temperatures this morning were in the single digits F and dropping. South of Bozeman and near Big Sky temperatures were in the teens and low 20s F. Near Cooke City and West Yellowstone temperatures were in the high 20s F. Winds were hardly blowing in the Bridger Range while most other places had winds averging 10 mph gusting to 20 mph from the W and SW.

Today a cold front will move south causing temperatures to drop and winds to increase as the front passes. Temperatures will drop to the single digits F this afternoon in northern areas while further south temperatures will reach the low teens F. A second wave of moisture will move north and collide with this cold front producing snow that will favor the southern areas. By tomorrow morning, the mountains near Cooke City and West Yellowstone should get an additional 8-12 inches of snow. Mountains near Bozeman and Big Sky should get 4-6 inches of snow.

Under mostly clear skies mountain temperatures are in the low 20s with west to southwest winds blowing 15-20 mph. No new snow fell overnight, but cloud cover will increase later today and bring scattered snowfall tonight. Winds will remain light and temperatures will rise to the high 20s before dropping to the teens this evening. By morning I expect 2-4 inches with more falling on Friday.

Under clear skies mountain temperatures are in the mid-teens and ridgetop winds are light at 15-20 mph from the west. High pressure will allow for sunny skies and temperatures reaching the upper 20s as winds remain light. Skies will cloud up tonight and snow is forecasted for Thursday, but for today, lather on the sunscreen and enjoy the bright sunshine.

Late last night it started snowing and by 6 a.m. the mountains around Cooke City picked up 10”, the Bridger and northern Gallatin Ranges received 5-7”, Big Sky area got 4” and only a trace to one inch fell from Big Sky to West Yellowstone. Winds are blowing from the west to southwest at 15-20 mph and gusting 30-40 mph. In the northern mountains temperatures are in the high single digits and low 20s in the south. The storm will end by mid-morning and drop another inch or two of snow. Today I expect wind gusts to dissipate and temperatures to rise into the high teens to mid-20s. Tomorrow looks to be sunny.

Cooke City was the gold medal winner last night picking up 6-8 inches of new snow. The mountains around Big Sky won silver with 3-4 inches while the rest of advisory area shared the bronze with 1-2 inches. Currently, mountain temperatures are in the teens to low 20s F and winds are steadily increasing out of the west. Hyalite weather station is recording gusts up to 80 mph while the mountains around Big Sky and Cooke City are recording gusts up to 50 mph.

Today, light snow will linger in the mountains, but no real accumulations are expected. Temperatures will warm into the mid to upper 20s F and winds will remain strong out of the WNW. Another round of moisture is forecasted to impact the area tonight into tomorrow. Judging by the lackluster performance of this latest storm, my expectations are fairly low. I’ll go out on a limb and say 3-5 inches are possible in the northern mountains and Cooke City by tomorrow morning. The southern ranges should see 2-4 inches.

Overnight the mountains around Big Sky picked up 3-4 inches of new snow, 1-2 inches fell eslewhere. At 4 a.m. temperatures range between 5-10 degrees above zero F and westerly winds are blowing 10-20 mph with ridge top gusts reaching 40 mph near Big Sky and Hyalite. Today, temperatures will warm into the twenties F and winds will continue to blow 15-30 mph out of WNW. Snow will continue to fall through the day with 2-4 inches possible in the northern ranges and 1-3 in the south by this afternoon. Snowfall intensity will increase this evening with an additional 6-8 inches likely by Monday morning in the mountains around Bozeman, Big Sky and Cooke City. The mountains around West Yellowstone will see an additional 3-5 inches by tomorrow morning.

Over the past 24 hours the Bridger Range has picked up 17 inches of new snow. The northern Gallatin Range has received close to a foot while the mountains around Big Sky picked up 4-5 inches. The mountains around West Yellowstone and Cooke City have received 1-3 inches.

At 4 a.m. mountain temperatures are in the single digits above or below zero F and winds are blowing 10-20 mph out of the WNW. Snow will slowly diminish through the morning hours with an additional 1-2 inches possible in the northern ranges. Today, temperatures will warm into the teens F under mostly cloudy skies and winds will remain light to moderate out the WNW. This afternoon and evening look to be dry, but another potent storm system is forecasted to impact southwest Montana starting tomorrow morning. This storm has the potential to drop over a foot of snow in the northern mountains by Monday.

Over the past 24 hours the Bridger Range has picked up 17 inches of new snow. The northern Gallatin Range has received close to a foot while the mountains around Big Sky picked up 4-5 inches. The mountains around West Yellowstone and Cooke City have received 1-3 inches.

At 4 a.m. mountain temperatures are in the single digits above or below zero F and winds are blowing 10-20 mph out of the WNW. Snow will slowly diminish through the morning hours with an additional 1-2 inches possible in the northern ranges. Today, temperatures will warm into the teens F under mostly cloudy skies and winds will remain light to moderate out the WNW. This afternoon and evening look to be dry, but another potent storm system is forecasted to impact southwest Montana starting tomorrow morning. This storm has the potential to drop over a foot of snow in the northern mountains by Monday.

Since yesterday morning the mountains near Cooke City received 6-8 inches of snow, near West Yellowstone 4-6 inches, and near Bozeman and Big Sky 3 inches. Winds were blowing 20-30 mph and gusting to 50 mph from the SW in some places and NW in others. Temperatures ranged from 10 F to 15 F. Today’s forecast is more wind, more snow, and cold temperatures. Westerly winds should average 20 mph and gust to 40 mph. Temperatures may rise to near 20 F but fall this afternoon as cold air descends from the north. By tomorrow morning most areas should get another 1-3 inches. With moisture and cold air coming from the NW for the next few days, it is possible that we could see another good dump in the Bridger Range but these events are hard to forecast. The good news is that winds should finally calm this weekend.