Nock Mountains

Southerly winds are generating fresh, trigger-sensitive snowdrift accumulations

Southerly winds are generating fresh, trigger-sensitive snowdrift accumulations

Avalanche danger above the timberline is considerable, below that altitude danger is low. Slab avalanches can in some places on NW/N/E facing slopes be triggered even by one sole skier. Danger zones occur esp. near ridgelines, behind protruberances in the landscape and in gullies and bowls. Size and frequency of danger zones tend to increase with ascending altitude. Danger zones are generally easily recognized. In isolated cases, avalanches can fracture down to more deeply embedded layers in the snowpack. Naturally triggered glide-snow and wet-snow avalanches are possible, the releases remain mostly small-sized.

The loosely packed fresh fallen snow from Wednesday is being transported by intensifying southerly winds and deposited on north-facing slopes atop loose surfaces. Inside the old snowpack are weak layers of faceted crystals on very steep north-facing slopes above the timberline.

Foehn winds will intensify on Wednesday evening, reaching windspeeds of 70 km/hr during the night on the Main Ridge. At 2000m: -3 degrees; at 3000m: -8 degrees in the south, in the Northern Alps at 2000m 0 degrees; at 3000m: -7 degrees. On Thursday, quite sunny, high altitude clouds will move in, hampering the sunshine. In the afternoon in the western Tauern, dense clouds will move in, sunshine will fall into the background and visibility can deteriorate, but it will remain dry. The southerly foehn wind will be strong in the morning (60 km/hr in the Tauern) but ease of during the daytime. At 2000m: 0 degrees; at 3000m: -4 degrees.

Snowdrift problem will decrease