Mostly quite good conditions – Danger zones where snowpack is wet, esp. on very steep shady slopes above 2500m

Southerly foehn will bring some precipitation, esp. to southern regions

Following an extremely dry month of March, April has still not brought much precipitation. A bit is scheduled to arrive starting on Sunday, 24.04 due to foehn influence, especially in southern regions in Tirol (Gurgler Massif incl. East Tirol).

Main Alpine Ridge as weather divide on 21.04.2022: overcast skies in the south, mostly sunny in the north. Gurgler Massif

Clouds dominated last week near the Adlersruhe. The wind shifting to southerly is visible, then overcast skies following two sunny days.

Mostly favorable conditions – Focus on thoroughly wet snowpack on shady slopes at 2500m

Low avalanche danger for the most part last week, with just a slight daytime cycle which heightened danger to moderate. Only on Friday, 15.03, was there a brief wet-snow cycle. So our focus is now on shady slopes at 2500m. As the wetness penetrates deeper, increasingly frequent loose-snow and mostly small-to-medium slab avalanches will be the result. Due to the character of April weather, forecasts that reach over several days are doomed to failure, should this happen. We simply have to observe the situation each day, since even minor weather changes can cause huge effects on the wetness of the snowpack. Keep an eye on diffuse radiation and high air moisture and warm temperatures. Other than that, all is quiet in outlying terrain.

Following snowfall, more frequent loose-snow avalanches

A classic pattern is the sure-fire appearance of loose-snow avalanches in extremely steep terrain following snowfall at this time of year. Due to presumably modest amounts of fresh snow, as forecast by ZAMG Weather Service for Sunday, 24.04, the loose-snow avalanches will probably remain mostly small.


Below-average snow depths

As noted in the Blog on 31.03, snow depths for this juncture of the season are below average. Here are a few impressions of present conditions...

Haggen in Sellraintal (photo: 12.04.2022)

Haggen in Sellraintal - photo for comparison, mid-April 2021

Bare ground up to high altitudes at low and intermediate altitudes and on sunny slopes - Lüsental
(photo: 18.04.2022)

Crocuses in bloom - spring arrives. Gurgler Massif (photo: 20.04.2022)

Review of one-day wet-snow cycle on 15.04.2022

As referred to above, and also mentioned in the last Blog, on 15.04 we faced a wet-snow problem. Instead of the anticipated isolated naturally triggered avalanches, they turned out to be numerous. The situation was facilitated by rainfall. Here are a few impressions of that...

Rainfall set in on Friday, 15.04, at Hahnenkamm station in the Kitzbühel Alps. On 16.04 the wet-snow cycle came to an abrupt end on shady slopes, due to dropping temperatures (NE air current).

Wet loose-snow avalanches released frequently on 15.04. East Tirol, Deferegger Alps

Flight of Christophorus crew to an avalanche on the Glungezer north flank, western Tux Alps. 2300m.
No one was buried. (photo: 15.04.2022)

On a north-facing slope at 2300-2500m, numerous naturally triggered avalanches.
Wildlahnertal, northern Zillertal Alps (photo: 18.04.2022)

Arrows: naturally triggered avalanches. Pink shading: naturally triggered slab, north flank of Nederkogel, Gurgler Massif (photo: 20.04.2022)