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Daily Winter Weather Report

Date: Saturday - 02 March 2013

Yellowstone National Park Winter Weather Links
Avalanche Advisory Special Weather Info
Daily Winter Weather Report Winter Road Report
Snow Depth Totals Yellowstone Weather Forecast


Station Pres Temp Max Temp Min Temp New Snow Depth Sky Present Conditions
Bechler 29.0 30.0 29.0 .03   OC Calm
Canyon 29.1 29.1 28.4 0 37 OC  
East Entrance 32.4 32.9 29.9 0 22 OC  
Lake 26.1 27.0 26.1 .01 37 OC Calm
Madison 26.2 27.0 26.0     OC  
Mammoth 29.7 32.0 29.0 0 9 OC WSW @ 3 - 4 mph
NE Entrance 31.1 31.5 31.1 0 25 OC  
Old Faithful 30.1 30.1 27.0 0 25 OC SSW @ 1 - 3 mph
Soda Butte 25.9 27.5 25.9 .01   OC  
South Entrance 27.5 28.6 27.5 .01 41 OC  
Sylvan Lake 28.8 28.8 24.6 .10 51 OC  
Sylvan Road 30.2 30.2 27.5 0 30 OC  
Thorofare 25.0 25.0 23.0 .01   OC NW @ 3 - 8 mph
Thumb Divide 28.6 28.9 28.0 .10 45 OC  
Tower 24.7 30.5 24.7 .01   OC NW @ 1 mph
West Entrance 30.4 30.4 30.2 0 29 OC  
BC=Broken Clouds / C=Clear / OC= Overcast/ SC=Scattered Clouds
All Temperatures are in °F ~ All Snow Depths are in Inches

* * Live Weather via All Yellowstone WebCams * *

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* * * Road Conditions * * *
Road Section Status Conditions Public Access / Info
Gardiner, MT to Mammoth Open * Good STA - Not Maintained from 4:30 PM to 6:00 AM
Mammoth to Tower Open * Snow Packed/Icy STA - Not Maintained from 4:30 PM to 6:00 AM
Tower to NE Entrance Open * Snow Packed/Icy STA - Not Maintained from 4:30 PM to 6:00 AM
Beartooth Highway CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED
Canyon to Lake Open Fair Rubber tracked oversnow concession vehicles
Canyon to Tower CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED ♦    (over Dunraven Pass)
Grant to South Entrance Open Fair Rubber tracked oversnow concession vehicles
Junction to Chief Joseph Hwy CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED
Lake to East Entrance Open Fair Rubber tracked oversnow concession vehicles
Lake to West Thumb Open Fair Rubber tracked oversnow concession vehicles
Madison to Old Faithful Open Fair Rubber tracked oversnow concession vehicles
Madison to West Yellowstone Open Fair Rubber tracked oversnow concession vehicles
Mammoth to Norris Open Fair Rubber tracked oversnow concession vehicles
Norris to Canyon Open Fair Rubber tracked oversnow concession vehicles
Norris to Madison Open Fair Rubber tracked oversnow concession vehicles
Old Faithful to Grant Open Fair Rubber tracked oversnow concession vehicles

* = Open year-round to wheeled vehicle travel.
NR=No Restrictions / STA=Snow Tires Advised / STR=Snow Tires Required

♦ =  CLOSED FOR THE WINTER SEASON

The park service plowing schedule for roads for the spring season.

******** FOR CURRENT ROAD INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 307-344-2117 ********


¤ ¤ - Please Note - ¤ ¤
There is NO wheeled vehicle travel East of Cooke City, Montana during the winter. This road (U.S. Highway 212), is Closed to Wheeled Vehicle Travel to the East as it is NOT plowed or maintained until late spring. In order to exit Silver Gate, Montana, or Cooke City, Montana, and Yellowstone, you must travel West back through Yellowstone to the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana to exit the park and these towns.

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SPECIAL INFORMATION

    Caution advised for snow falling off of building roofs. Park accordingly.

    Dangerous avalanche conditions may already exist in many back country areas, please call the Recorded Avalanche Advisory 406-587-6981 for the most current conditions. Also, see the Avalanche Advisory posted below.

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Yellowstone Seven Day Forecast on March 02, 2013
by the National Weather Service Riverton, Wyoming

Today: Partly cloudy. Highs 34°F to 40°F.

Tonight: Cloudy. Scattered snow showers after midnight. Southwest winds around 15 mph. Chance of snow 50 percent. Lows 21°F to 27°F.

Sunday: Breezy. Snow showers. Snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches. West winds 15 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 80 percent. Highs 29°F to 35°F.

Sunday Night: Breezy...colder. Cloudy with snow showers likely. Snow accumulation of 2 to 3 inches. Total snow accumulation 5 to 8 inches. West winds 15 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 60 percent. Lows 4°F to 10°F.

Monday: Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of snow showers. West winds around 15 mph. Highs 21°F to 27°F.

Monday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 3°F to 9°F.

Tuesday: Not as cold. Mostly sunny. Highs 30°F to 36°F.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Lows 14°F to 20°F.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. Chance of snow in the morning...then chance of snow...possibly mixed with rain in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 30 percent. Highs 32°F to 38°F.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Lows 14°F to 20°F.

Thursday: Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs 26°F to 32°F.

Thursday Night: Cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. Lows 12°F to 18°F.

Friday: Cloudy in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of snow. Highs 26°F to 32°F.

Snowflake Hazardous Weather Forecast Snowflake Yellowstone & Grand Teton Forecasts Snowflake Gibbon Falls Forecast Snowflake Mammoth Forecast Snowflake Midway Forecast Snowflake Norris Forecast Snowflake Old Faithful Forecast Snowflake

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* * * Snow Depth Totals as reported at SNOTELs * * *
Station Depth (inches) Station Depth (inches)
Black Bear 93 Parker Peak 60
Blackwater 55 South Entrance 41
Canyon 37 Sylvan Lake 51
Evening Star 65 Sylvan Road 30
Fisher Creek 78 Thumb Divide 45
Grassy Lake 73 Two Ocean Plateau 67
Lewis Lake Divide 70 West Yellowstone 29
Madison Plateau 60 Whiskey Creek 38
Northeast Entrance 25 Wolverine 25

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Avalanche Advisory

from the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center - March 02, 2013 - this report is by Mark Staples. This advisory Does Not Apply to operating ski areas.

Mountain Weather

Yesterday about an inch of snow fell near Cooke City and West Yellowstone. This morning temperatures were in the high 20s Fahrenheit with winds blowing 15 mph from the West and gusting to 20 mph. Yesterday in the mountains near Bozeman, winds were blowing 20 to 40 mph. Today will be a mix of clouds and sun. High temperatures will be in the 30s Fahrenheit and may reach the 40s in places. Winds will increase slightly and shift to the Southwest bringing snow tonight. By Sunday morning several inches will have fallen with more to come throughout the day.

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion:

Bridger, Gallatin, and Madison Ranges, Lionhead Area near West Yellowstone, and Cooke City:

Stability is neither really good nor really bad. The reason for heightened avalanche conditions in some terrain is the presence of faceted layers in the upper 3 feet of the snowpack. Also, recent strong winds, especially in the Bridger Range, formed fresh wind slabs. Warm temperatures will help these wind slabs stabilize and make them more difficult to trigger.

  • Yesterday my partner and I found four different faceted layers in the snowpack in the northern Bridger Range (profile). We generally felt safe skiing steep terrain in the trees but with these layers lurking beneath our feet we carefully assessed each slope. With avalanches the snowpack should be assumed guilty until proven innocent.

  • We also investigated a cornice triggered avalanche on Hardscrabble Peak (photo). It broke on very weak facets on a rocky bed surface and produced a massive pile of debris.

  • Near Hebgen Lake north of West Yellowstone this week, skiers found weak facets about 2.5 feet deep breaking cleanly and propagating fractures in stability tests. They opted to ski low angle slopes.

  • Also this week, Doug and Karl found plenty of weak facets on Mount Ellis. These facets also propagated fractures near the ridgetop where winds had deposited snow but did not propagate in the burned area with no wind-blown snow.

The reason conditions are not really bad is that regular and light snowfall has gradually buried these faceted layers without stressing them too much. However, snowfall this Sunday could push them closer to their breaking point. Stable slopes definitely exist as skiers found in the upper bowls of Hyalite on Thursday, but recent avalanches continue to remind us that unstable slopes also exist.

What to do? Dig about 3 feet deep in several different places and conduct several stability tests. Be especially wary of any snowpack with a total depth of 3 to 4 feet (about a ski pole length). In these places very weak facets usually exist near the ground and could produce an avalanche like one Eric and I investigated on Thursday (photo) on Mount Wheeler. Lastly, look for fresh wind slabs and don't trust them. Today human triggered avalanches remain possible and the Avalanche Danger is rated MODERATE.

The next advisory tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM. If you have any snowpack or avalanche observations, drop us a line at mtavalanche@gmail.com or call us at: 406-587-6984.


EDUCATION, PHOTOS, SNOWPITS, and VIDEOS

1. For links to Articles, Education and (photos), (snowpits), or (videos) listed in the above report, please visit this Link.

2. They have recently uploaded more photos and snowpits to their web site, more than what are linked in the advisory above.

3. They have creating a series of "How To…" stability test videos. So far they have clips on performing a CT and ECT. They are located under Stability Tests on their Resources page.

Information provided by Doug Chabot, Mark Staples, and Eric Knoff from the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. For Photos and Videos, please visit the Avalanche Centers Website!

If you have any snowpack or avalanche observations, drop them a line at mtavalanche@gmail.com or call: 406-587-6984.

For detailed Avalanche Terms utilized here, please see the Avalanche Glossary.



Avalanche Danger Scale

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Back to the Yellowstone Daily Winter Reports or the Yellowstone Weather Page

Information provided by Yellowstone National Park, National Weather Service and Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center


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