Goldberg Group Central

Significantly increasing naturally triggered loose-snow avalanches. Beware gliding snow.

Significantly increasing naturally triggered loose-snow avalanches. Beware gliding snow.

Avalanche danger is moderate. Loose-snow avalanches in the fresh snow, esp. near ridges small snowdrift accumulations above 2200 m can trigger and releases become medium-sized. Rising temperatures and solar radiation will increase loose-snow avalanches triggering naturally in very steep sunny terrain and in general in rough and rocky terrain in all aspects. Loose snow avalanches can often sweep along great masses of wet old snow and reach larger size. Glide-snow avalanches remain a danger: in all aspects and at any time of day or night, medium releases in terrain which has not yet discharged, sometimes larger, esp. on N/E facing slopes where there is adequate snow on the ground. Avoid zone below glide cracks. Glide-snow avalanches can also release in terrain where before the snowfall the ground was bare.

The old snowpack on W/N/E facing slopes is often isotherm (north up to 2600 m, E/W up to 3000 m, south up to summit levels), largely wet down to the ground. On sunny slopes, bare of snow up to high altitudes. With the cold front on Wednesday a melt-freeze crust could often form, atop this there was 20-40 cm of fresh snow registered, in high alpine regions up to 50 cm, well bonded. Due to high air moisture, the fresh snow became sticky on Wednesday, often moist up to 2300 m. Weak layers are not evident, the fresh snow is rapidly settling.

The cold snap was short, on Wednesday evening the clouds will disperse, overnight skies will clear, though fog and residual clouds will persist longer in the valleys. On the mountaintops, high-pressure front conditions prevail on Thursday, good backcountry touring weather, outstanding visibility, sunshine all day long but for a few harmless clouds. Light S/W winds. Milder. Zero-degree level will ascend again to over 3000 m. At 2000 m: rising from 2 to 8 degrees; at 3000 m: from -1 to +2 degrees.

Sunny, mild weather. The snowpack will moisten further. Gliding snow will persist.