Northern Cairngorms

NC for 14/12: Gale force S winds. Drifting. Unstable windslab and cornices, NW,N to E asp. above 850m. Later stabilizing. Mod Haz.

NC for 14/12: Gale force S winds. Drifting. Unstable windslab and cornices, NW,N to E asp. above 850m. Later stabilizing. Mod Haz.

Forecast Snow Stability: Drifting snow will lead to new accumulations of unstable windslab developing on North-West through North to East aspects above 800 metres. The greatest instability will be in wind sheltered locations such as below coire rims and the tops of gullies. In these areas unstable cornices will also develop. During the day the snowpack will begin to consolidate. The avalanche hazard will be Moderate.

Forecast Weather Influences: Light snowfall is expected during the night, a dry day will follow. Overnight, winds will be gale force Southerly, later veering to become Westerly during the day. The freezing level will briefly rise to above summit levels during the middle of the night before falling to 1100 metres. Observed Weather Influences: A cold sunny day with light to moderate Easterly winds. The freezing level was around 600 metres. ObservedSnowStability: A thin layer of soft snow overlies a firm generally stable snowpack. Isolated accumulations of moderately bonded windslab are present on South through West to North-West aspects mainly above 1000 metres. These accumulations are generally shallow, avoidable and mostly confined to wind sheltered locations such as below coire rims and steep rollovers. The avalanche hazard is Low.