Nock Mountains

Superb springtime conditions, only slight daytime cycle

Superb springtime conditions, only slight daytime cycle

Avalanche danger is initially LOW, then rises during the day yet stays withing this danger level. Isolated, seldom glide snow avalanches (small-to-medium) are possible at any time of day or night in very steep grass-covered terrain, though the likelihood is greatest in afternoon and evening. Heed glide cracks.

The snowpack is capable of bearing loads to start with. Often hard-as-steel and icy. During the course of the day it softens slowly. On sunny slopes the uppermost 10 cm become soft, on west-facing and north-facing slopes they remain hard for longer. Glide-snow activity on extremely steep slopes tends to increase through the course of each day.

Cloudless skies, outstanding visibility on Monday. Air moisture extremely low, mostly 20%. Light winds, apart from local swooping winds. At 2000 m: rising from -4 to +1 degrees. On Tuesday, still cloudless skies, clear air, low moisture. Southerly winds rising, reaching 30-50 km/hr in exposed terrain. Temperatures unchanged.

On Tuesday, unchanged conditions. Top springtime conditions, only a minor glide-snow risk, and the dry air will transform the snow to firn rather late, where the sun doesn’t shine directly, and the snowpack will remain steel-hard. Starting on Wednesday, increasingly strong daytime cycle, with wet-snow problem in the afternoon.