Nock Mountains

Fresh snowdrifts from northerly foehn wind

Fresh snowdrifts from northerly foehn wind

Danger of avalanches is MODERATE above 1800 m, LOW below that altitude. Avalanche prone locations focus on gullies in all aspects and wind-loaded steep terrain (drifts esp. in E/S/W aspects). The drifts are still thin, not area-wide, but are prone to triggering. Triggering a small-to-medium sized slab avalanche there is possible even by minimum additional loading in some places.

Increasingly strong northerly foehn wind starting on Friday, new in high alpine regions. Potential fracture point: faceted crystals below the thin melt-freeze cdrust which formed through the higher temperatures and minor rainfall up to high alpine regions at the beginning of the week. Proneness to triggering of older snowdrift masses from last week in all aspects has diminished. Ground-level soft layers of faceted-crystal riddled layers are weakening the fundament on shady slopes above 2300 m.

Saturday will start sunny in the mountains, it will still be foggy in the valleys. Cloudless skies will be far-reaching. Winds in the Tauern will be brisk from N/NW. At 2000 m: maximum -3 to -1 degree; at 3000 m: maximum -5 degrees. On Sunday, similar conditions, mostly sunny with good visibility. At high altitudes often windy. Slightly milder.

Little change on Sunday. Avoid fresh snowdrift accumulations!