Author: Jeffrey McCabe

Since Tuesday afternoon (05.03) there has been up to 80 cm of fresh snow registered regionally in the mountains. The fresh fallen snow covers an old snowpack which has marked weak layers in the uppermost part. Reports from observers about naturally triggered avalanches and artificial triggerings with explosives confirm the tense situation. Over the next…

For the coming days Geosphere Austria has forecast variable weather conditions. Rainfall is expected up to intermediate altitudes at least. Starting Saturday, 2 March, southerly foehn winds will arise, reaching storm-strength on Sunday, with more clouds in the south than in the north, and very mild. The variable weather includes diffuse light conditions which will…

At the forefront, fresh-snow problem, persistent weak layer The degree of each particular avalanche problem is what determines the Danger Level. Over the weekend (23-25.02) there was a fresh-snow problem and a persistent weak layer problem. The persistent weak layer came about due to shallow weak layers beneath near-surface crusts of the old snowpack until…

As a consequence of fresh snow, avalanche danger is increasing markedly throughout Tirol. Most of the snowfall is anticipated in East Tirol and in the eastern sector of the Main Alpine Ridge, where Danger Level 4, High, will be reached above the timberline. Particularly on Friday, naturally triggered medium-to-large sized slab avalanches are likely. For…

Last week there was a bit of snowfall: on the one hand, powder snow; on the other, trigger-prone snowdrift accumulations. All in all there were, and there continue to be, only a few avalanche prone locations in outlying terrain. We are saddled with a latent gliding snow problem and, for a short time, loose-snow avalanches…

A southerly airstream will bring fresh snow to East Tirol starting on Friday, 9 February. On Sunday the precipitation will spread to North Tirol. Only minor amounts of fresh snow are anticipated. Due to strong-velocity southerly winds, fresh snowdrift accumulations will be generated which on shady slopes will be prone to triggering. In regions where…

In North Tirol and northern East Tirol it is snowing on 1-2 February amid strong NW winds and generating fresh snowdrift masses. These will be prone to triggering for a brief spell. At latest on Saturday, 3 February, we expect (due to solar radiation) increasingly frequent loose-snow avalanches in extremely steep terrain. Glide-snow avalanches are…

The avalanche triggerings and reports from 27.01.2024 corroborate the approaching persistent-weak-layer problem reported in the Blog on 26.01.2024. For that reason we had to update the 27.01 report in the evening and ratchet up the danger level in the relevant regions to considerable. We advise for the moment to circumvent very steep sunny slopes above…

Yesterday, 26.01.2024, four avalanche reports were received at Tirol headquarters, two in which persons were involved. One person was severely injured. Both gliding snow and snowdrifts were the underlying problems/causes. Avalanches where gliding snow was the main problem Marchlehn gulley near Tieflehn The most serious avalanche occurred yesterday on 26.01.2024 in rear Pitztal. In the…