Nock Mountains

Northerly foehn wind will generate fresh trigger-sensitive snowdrift accumulations

Northerly foehn wind will generate fresh trigger-sensitive snowdrift accumulations

Avalanche danger above 1600 m is CONSIDERABLE, below that altitude danger is LOW. Fresh snow and brisk N/NW winds are generated fresh, trigger-sensitive snowdrifts. A slab is generally small, but can be easily triggered. Danger zones are generally on E/S facing slopes, both near ridgelines and distant from them. Snowdrifts from the beginning of the week can benerally be triggered only by large additional loading or in extremely steep gullies by minimum additional loading. Due to the unfavourable snowpack layering, superficial triggerings can fracture down to more deeply embedded layers inside the snowpack and grow to dangerously large size. In very steep terrain, small loose-snow avalanches are possible.

Atop a snowpack surface showing marked effects of wind (gullies and bowls are filled to the brim, ridges are utterly windblown) cold snow or fresh snowdrifts lie deposited. Bonding is poor. Also the old snowpack is unfavourably layered (ground-level layers metamorphosed, atop of which are melt-freeze crusts/icy sheets and just beneath the surface hoar is embedded) lies a layer of powder which has not been wind-impacted.

On Friday, peaks often shrouded in clouds, visibility severely reduced due to fog and intermittent snowfall. Winds will be mostly light. Cold. At 2000 m: -13 degrees, at 3000 m: -18 degrees.

Fresh snowfall and wind will generate new snowdrift accumulations ongoingly.