First major snowfall of the season in northern regions
An autumnal burst of winter has brought us our initiation, above 1200-1500 m the first big snowfall of the season. The major areas of precipitation are focused in the northern regions of Tirol from Arlberg/Ausserfern to the Kitzbühel Alps. From region to region there was as much as 50mm of precipitation. At higher altitudes there was correspondingly up to 50 cm of fresh fallen snow.
 |
| 24-hour difference in precipitation in Tirol until today 18.09 at 06:30 am. The violet dots mark precipitation zones of between 30 and 60 mm, the orange dots mark precipitation zones of between 15 and 30 mm. (source: Hydro Online) |
 |
| At higher altitudes the precipitation fell as snow. On the Seegrube above Innsbruck there is currently 40 cm of fresh snow on the ground. |
For a brief spell, caution urged towards glide-snow avalanches and loose-snow slides; and in high alpine regions, towards small snowdrift accumulations.
Such avalanche activity is typical for this juncture of the season: in the regions where there has been most snowfall, we’ll see numerous glide-snow slides on steep meadows and medium sized glide-snow avalanches. At the foot of rocky terrain, furthermore, small loose-snow avalanches are anticipated, increasingly so after the sun comes out again.
For that reason, we need to awaken and sharpen our senses to avalanche danger for a short time. Currently this applies particularly to hikers whose trails lead them beneath steep grassy slopes or rocky terrain.
Mountaineers should also be attentive to a further avalanche problem, at least for a brief spell, namely, freshly accumulated snowdrifts. Such danger zones form as a result of the frequently strong velocity northwesterly winds. Caution urged in particular in glaciated, very steep terrain near ridge lines.
The next blog entry will be published upon the next major snowfall in the mountains
