Nock Mountains

Isolated glide-snow avalanches, small-area persistent weak layer

Isolated glide-snow avalanches, small-area persistent weak layer

Avalanche danger is LOW. Below 2400 m the main danger is from very isolated glide-snow avalanches (mostly small, seldom medium-sized) in extremely steep grass-covered terrain. At high altitudes, esp. above 2400 m, there are isolated avalanche prone locations for slab avalanches: steep slopes distant from ridgeline and very steep gullies, particularly in N/E/S aspects. Caution in transitions from shallow to deeper snow.

Below 2200 m the snowpack is extremely moist, glides over extremely steep grass-covered ground. It often has a breakable melt-freeze crust, sometime unpleasantly cut. Lower temperatures and lack of solar radiation on Monday will hardly permit the snow to transform to firn, including on sunny slopes. At high altitudes the surfaces show striking effects of wind: windblown, wind-hardened, wind swirls, etc. Only in high alpine regions are there small snowdrift patches formed by W/N winds. A potential fracture point (faceted, soft) is located beneath the melt-freeze crusts, elsewhere the old snowpack is not prone to triggering.

On Monday, strong (at high altitudes stormy) westerly winds and lots of cloud with short windows of sunshine, visibility mostly adequate. Intermittent rain (above 1500-1700 snow), only minimal amounts. Temperatures will drop about 10 degrees: at 2000 m: -1 degree; at 3000 m: -8 degrees. On Tuesday, sunshine and clouds will alternate, more sun in the afternoon. Hardly any precipitation. At high altitudes from Steinberge eastwards, southerly winds blowing at 50-70 km/hr. It will turn mild again: at 2000 m: 0 to 5 degrees; at 3000 m: 0 degrees.

No significant change is expected. In high alpine regions the southerly wind can form small snowdrift accumulations.