Category: Current situation
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End of season: current situation and review of winter 2018/19
An out-of-the-ordinary winter demands out-of-the-ordinary moments to write a blog…. In the first part: a brief description of the snow and avalanche situation since the end of May. In the second part: a review of the winter through data, facts and graphs. Snow and avalanche situation between end of May and mid-June 2019 There is still…
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No news – gray skies, lots of snow at high altitude, also avalanche danger
Last week’s weather: variable. Mostly gray skies and rainy, with brief intervals of improvement and dispersed clouds (23-25 May). Weather station Hahnenkamm (Reutte): for a station at 1670m, still enormous amounts of snow The predominantly gloomy, cold, wet weather will persist for a bit. Rainfall up to about 2500 m in most parts of Tirol. Tirol’s…
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Results of Euregio Avalanche Bulletin Survey
At the end of March we carried out an online survey to determine reader satisfaction with the new Euregio Avalanche Bulletin. We would like to thank everyone who participated in this survey, who took the time to answer the questions. We have studied the results carefully. Based on your responses, we are taking appropriate measures…
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Wintery conditions persist in the mountains – weather remains variable
Still unstable and cool The variable weather conditions, rather cool and moist for this juncture of the season, persist. Weather review: highly variable! A comparative review: the winter’s greatest snow depths are frequently being measured in high alpine regions currently. Impressive amounts of fresh snow in the mountains Conditions as in deep winter at Regensburger…
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Above average snow depths in the mountains – Avalanches still threaten
Winter still reigns in the mountains Since the end of April, extremely variable, moist and unseasonably cold weather conditions have prevailed. An atypical “melting display” for this juncture of the season: increasing snow depths in May at 2060 m altitude in the Tux Alps. In addition, the plummeting temperatures at the end of April are…
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Winter just doesn’t want to give up…
Onset of winter at the end of April, short improvement at the beginning of May, and then winter will be back again: Following heavy foehn impact, winter struck again on 26 April. Lots of fresh snow in some parts of Tirol The southern regions won the prize: between Friday 26.04 and Monday 29.04, there was…
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Unstable April weather: increasing danger and avalanche activity
Current situation and trend The April weather persists: Current unstable and (for backcountry skiers) infelicitous weather conditions will persist for a bit. Nonetheless, a marked change is about to take place in air masses, according to forecasts of ZAMG: the southerly foehn system is expected to collapse on Friday, 26 April. A cold front will…
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Mediterranean low bringing instable weather. Main danger: wet-snow+glide-snow avalanches.
The sunny and wind-calm weather over the Easter holidays, coupled with top backcountry touring conditions in the mountains, are over. Tirol currently lies in the path of a powerful southerly air current, wedged between two low-pressure systems over eastern Europe and the western Mediterranean. As a consequence, clouds are accumulating along the Main Alpine Ridge…
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Classic spring situation, also over Easter holidays
Easter present: It’s hard to believe, but it really couldn’t be much better: a predominantly stable snowpack. High-pressure weather system. Mostly clear nocturnal skies with adequate outgoing radiation. Rather dry air masses. All of the ingredients for really good springtime conditions, provided one leaves early in the morning and finishes the tour relatively early. At…
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Short update on near-surface weak layers
Zooming in on the already mentioned near-surface weak layers, we were able to bring the picture into sharper focus. These layers were responsible for several avalanches involving persons in the regions where recent snowfall has been heaviest (see last blog). The avalanches were without consequences for the backcountry skiers. Slab avalanches and settling noises were…