Nock Mountains

Snowdrift accumulations prone to triggering

Snowdrift accumulations prone to triggering

Avalanche danger is LOW. Isolated danger zones are located in wind-loaded steep zones zones (gullies, steep bowls, forest clearances, etc.) and generally in ridgeline terrain in N/E/S aspects. The freshly generated snowdrift accumulations are prone to triggering. In some places, even minimum additional loading is sufficient to trigger a small-to-medium slab avalanche.

The stormy NW winds will transport the loose old snow. On shady slopes the base consists of expansively metamorphosed (faceted) snow and surface hoar in shady, wind-protected gullies, bowls and forest clearances, i.e. potential fracture points; elsewhere mostly breakable wind crusts, and on sunny slopes melt-freeze crusts or moist old snow. The old snowpack is generally stable, tends towards fracture propagation only in isolated cases with large additional loading (in a faceted layer beneath the melt-freeze / rain crust which formed at the New Year.

On Monday, increasingly storm NW winds, gusts up to 60-90 km/hr. Poor visibility. Sunshine and clouds will alternate. At 2000 m: -6 degrees. On Tuesday, initially cloudy, but visibility will swiftly improve during the day, sunshine will then prevail. The NW winds will slacken off, but over midday gusts will reach 40-60 km/hr. At 2000 m: -6 degrees.

Snowdrift problem also on Tuesday. AVOID under all circumstances the wind-loaded zones.