Southern Cairngorms

SC 31/12/22 Moderately bonded snow in wind sheltered locations on W through N to E aspects above 900m. Avalanche hazard - Moderate.

SC 31/12/22 Moderately bonded snow in wind sheltered locations on W through N to E aspects above 900m. Avalanche hazard - Moderate.

Forecast Snow Stability: Below 900 metres the wet snow will start to firm up, becoming well bonded and stable. Above 900 metres, deeper, moderately bonded accumulations will be found in steeper, wind sheltered locations on mainly North-West to North-East aspects and less frequently on some West and East aspects. The avalanche hazard will be Moderate.

Forecast Weather Influences: A mainly dry but cloudy day. Westerly winds easing overnight to become light, variable during the day. The freezing level will fluctuate between 400 and 550 metres. Observed Weather Influences: Early precipitation fell as snow above 500 metres. Drier conditions during the morning were followed by light precipitation during the afternoon. This fell as snow above 900 metres. The South-South-Easterly winds increased in strength as they veered to become strong South-South-Westerly. The freezing level rose to around 900 metres by midday. ObservedSnowStability: New snow above 500 metres with deep drifts in places. Unstable windslab has rapidly formed in wind sheltered locations on North-West to North-East aspects above 900 metres. Below this altitude, and on West and East aspects, moderately bonded snow is present. Elsewhere the snow tends to be stable and well bonded. The avalanche hazard is Considerable.