Nock Mountains

Fresh foehn-induced snowdrifts on north-facing slopes prone to triggering. Avalanches can fracture in weak old snow.

Fresh foehn-induced snowdrifts on north-facing slopes prone to triggering. Avalanches can fracture in weak old snow.

Avalanche danger is moderate above 1900m, below that altitude danger is low. Medium-sized slab avalanches can be triggered by one sole skier in a few steep spots above 1900m, snowdrifts also lie deposited distant from ridgelines in gujllies and bowls and the releases grow to medium size. Especially above 2200m avalanches can fracture in the weak old snow, esp. on seldom-tracked steep north-facing slopes. Caution urged esp. above 2500m on E/W facing slopes. Avalanches in the near-surface drifts remain small-sized. During the course of the day, naturally triggered loose-snow avalanches can be expected in extremely steep south-facing terrain, releases mostly small-sized.

On shady slopes, fresh foehn-induced snowdrifts lie deposited atop an unfavorable old snowpack surface. Inside the drifts, weak layers can form. In addition, inside the old snowpack fundament there are several layers of faceted crystals, these weak laysers can serve as a slab to the freshly generated drifts. Due to reduced nocturnal outgoing longwave radiation and often diffuse radiation the snowpack is superficially moist and is forfeiting its firmness.

On Saturday in the foehn lanes of the Tauern, windspeeds will often reach 70 km/hr. In the morning, widespread cloud cover will pass through. From the south dense clouds will accumulate in the Tauern, a bit of rainfall and snowfall above 1900m is possible. At 2000m. from +2 degrees in the Lungau Nockberge and +5 degrees in the Northern Alps; at 3000m. from -4 to -2 degrees.

Little change expected