November concludes very mild, not much precipitation
The month of November 2020 will go down in history: according to ZAMG Weather Service it was among the ten driest, in the mountains the third warmest, and among the five sunniest Novembers in the entire history of weather measurement.
December launch – heavy snowfall in southern regions
As of today, 1 December 2020, it is temporarily over with fine weather. To begin with, a weak cold front will dominate in Tirol, but starting on 4 December a powerful low will hit us from the south, bringing lots of fresh snow to the southern regions. The current ZAMG forecast foresees 50-70 cm in the valleys of East Tirol, 120-180 cm in the mountains. Along the Main Alpine Ridge as far as the Ötztal Alps, up to 50 cm in anticipated in the valleys, 100-150 cm in the mountains.
Heavy snowfall brings marked increase in avalanche danger
As a result of the snowfall, increasingly frequent glide-snow avalanches are expected on steep grass-covered slopes at lower altitudes, plus severe branch breakage under the weight of the fresh snow. At higher altitudes it’s a different story: increasingly frequent naturally triggered slab avalanches are expected on steep shady slopes.
More details will follow in the coming blog on Thursday, 3 December 2020, when we will also launch the daily Avalanche Bulletins.
