Nock Mountains

Persistent weak layer remains the main danger

Persistent weak layer remains the main danger

The avalanche risk is moderate above the tree line and low below. On shady slopes, medium dry slab avalanches can be triggered by individuals in a few places. Most likely at the transition from little to more snow. Danger areas are difficult to recognise, which is why defensive route selection is still advised. Individual gliding avalanches occur on steep grassy terrain. Wet loose snow avalanches and snow slabs from sunny slopes that have not yet been unloaded are also possible.

On the sunny slopes, the snowpack has a (more or less stable) melt-freeze crust for a short time, underneath it is moist to wet up to high altitudes. On the shady slopes, soft, dry snow can still be found from around 1800 metres. The snow cover of the past week has settled, but the connection to the angular old snow underneath is still poor in places, with some weak layers at the transition to the old snow and deeper in the old snowpack. Deep and sunny middle layers are often already tapped out.

The night will be mostly clear, with a few scattered patches of cloud moving through in the first half of the night. Some fog will form in the valleys. Wednesday morning will be mostly sunny. The wind will be mostly light at all altitudes. Temperatures at 2000 metres around -1 degrees, at 3000 metres around -8 degrees. Thursday night will be clear with little change in temperatures.

The persistent weak layer problem is only slowly weakening. Slight daytime changes in wet avalanches on Thursday.