Nock Mountains

Mostly favorable avalanche situation

Mostly favorable avalanche situation

Avalanche danger is low. During the course of the day, likelihood of small wet-snow avalanches triggering on sunny steep slopes will increase somewhat. On very steep grass-covered slopes below 2600m which have not yet discharged, isolated mostly small glide-snow avalanches can trigger naturally. Isolated danger zones for slab avalanches occur on very steep shady slopes above 2400m. Danger zones occur in wind-loaded gullies and bowls, behind protruberances in the terrain and in ridgeline areas, as well as in transitions from shallow to deeper snow.

The melt-freeze encrusted snowpack, only sometimes capable of bearing loads, gradually softens up during the early daytime hours. In extended north-facing terrain there are still weak layers of faceted crystals in the old snowpack. On shady summit slopes, shallow snowdrift patches lie deposited often atop weak layers of surface hoar or faceted crystals. In high-alpine regions, thin snowdrifts are being generated on E/S-facing slopes. On shady slopes below 2200m and on sunny slopes, the old snowpack is mostly moist. On very steep, little structure terrain surfaces, the entire snowpack oftens glides downhill.

Clouds will move through during the night, later on they will disperse. On Thursday, clouds will often cover the sun, less so in afternoon. Snowfall hardly expected. Moderate-to-brisk NW winds, reaching storm-strength in Tauern and Nockberge, in high-alpine zones and in the Lungau, windspeeds of 60-80 km/hr. At 2000m: -3 to 0 degrees; at 3000m: -8 degrees.

On Friday, sunny and much warmer, zero-degree level at 2600m. Increasingly frequent wet-snow and glide-snow avalanches.