High-pressure conditions predominate
Last week enjoyed the impact of a stable high-pressure front with only brief interruptions. Temperatures were above average for this juncture of the season. Little change in this scenario is anticipated over the next few days. A weak cold front on 10.01 will bring some precipitation in the evening as temperatures drop slightly. Thereafter, sunshine will continue. Light winds, mild air in the mountains. In the valleys, a temperature inversion is expected.
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| Beautiful weather in general this last week. Pirchkogel in northern Stubai Alps (photo: 05.01.2020) |
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| Typical weather development of the last week: only brief disturbances. Mostly beautiful weather. Windy in the mountains. Far too warm for this juncture of the season. Nachtweide station in Silvretta Skiarena |
Some precipitation
...was registered between 04.01. and 05.01.2020.
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| Most of the precipitation fell in eastern regions, as here in the Wilder Kaiser region. |
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| The major bouts of precipitation of the last week. |
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| Fresh snow on Stubai Glacier (photo: 05.01.2020) |
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| Typical wind distribution last week. Winds were strongest in the regions along the Main Alpine Ridge. |
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| Snow plumes along Main Alpine Ridge in Gurgl group (photo: 05.01.2020) |
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| Storm winds in Obernbergtal (photo: 05.01.2020) |
Favourable avalanche situation
The avalanche situation corresponds to the weather: avalanche danger levels have continually decreased after a brief regional rise to ‘considerable’ above the treeline on 4/5 January. In the European Region Tirol-South Tirol-Trentino low danger currently prevails in general.
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| A uniformly favourable picture of the avalanche situation in the European Region for 10 January 2020. |
Main danger: isolated glide-snow avalanches
There are currently very few avalanche prone locations. Caution is nonetheless urged towards isolated glide-snow avalanches on steep, grass-covered slopes, generally of medium size.
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| Glide cracks yawn wide in some places. In isolated cases also avalanches, particularly in precisely those spots. Thus, the rule of thumb is: avoid stopping below glide cracks. (photo: 07.01.2020) |
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| Caution: glide-snow avalanches can plummet for long distances. This avalanche triggered on a W/SW slope at 2250 m in rear Gschnitztal. (photo: 02.01.2020) |
Backcountry descents: on very steep slopes
That, too, corresponds to the current situation. Backcountry enthusiasts are skiing and boarding down very steep slopes. Avalanche releases are not the problem there, but rather a fall. This applies ‘only’ to very steep terrain where wind crusts are often hardened.
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| Backcountry in the Lienz Dolomites (photo: 06.01.2020) |
Snowpack Overview
Generally poor snow quality
The deteriorating snow quality is striking. Generally the snowpack has been massively affected by winds or else thin melt-freeze crusts have formed on the surface. In zones where neither sunshine nor wind have done their work, one often breaks through down to the ground, particularly on shady slopes in regions of Tirol where there has not been much snowfall. In a nutshell: if you are in outlying terrain, it is only fun if you are a very good skier/boarder.
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| The work of the wind in Stubaital (photo: 05.01.2020) |
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| Shining surface (from melting process) adjacent to wind-affected surface (photo: 05.01.2020) |
Typical snowpack layering
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| Snowpack without weak layers in the Kitzbühel Alps |
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| Wind-affected snowpack surface, below that an expansively metamorphosed (faceted) layer from a long period of fine weather and high nocturnal outgoing radiation. Melt-freeze crusts stem from the warm weather in December including rainfall in mid-November and on Christmas Eve. In the interim, the snowdrifts have bonded well with the faceted layer, partly due to moister air masses on 3/4 January which moistened the uppermost layers in places. |
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| Several melt-freeze crusts, well bonded with each other, in steep-sunny terrain |
As mentioned above, beneath hardened wind crusts in wind-exposed, shallow-snow zones there are often loosely-packed, expansively metamorphosed (faceted) layers. Only seldom are the crystals in those areas absolutely unbonded over larger expanses, more often they’re encrusted.
Expectations for the coming few days
The favourable avalanche situation will persist. Caution urged in very steep terrain where the risks of taking a fall currently outweigh those of being caught in an avalanche. Keep glide cracks in view, that is where the greatest avalanche dangers currently stem from. In shallow-snow, wind-exposed, very steep zones, large additional loading could initiate a fracture in quite isolated cases and subsequently unleash a (generally small-sized) slab avalanche.
