Warm front and wind leave northern snowpack at considerable avalanche risk
Recent precipitation and strong winds have raised avalanche danger to level 3/5 in the north, with level 2 alerts in central and southern areas.
Key Points
- Avalanche risk level 3/5 in northern areas after recent precipitation and strong winds.
- Overnight warm front will bring rain, prevent refreeze and leave snow soft and unstable tomorrow.
- Central and southern areas under level 2/5 alerts; many hazardous spots on routes and off‑piste terrain.
- Wind slabs increased in north and southeast; off‑piste snow >60 cm above 2,500 m in the northern sector.
The meteorological service warns of a considerable avalanche risk (level 3 of 5) in the northern part of the country following recent precipitation and strong winds. A warm front expected overnight will prevent refreezing and add rain to the snowpack, leaving the snow soft tomorrow and increasing instability.
Forecasters say rising humidity may activate weak layers within the snowpack. Alerts are also in force for several central and southern areas, though at a lower risk level (2 of 5).
Dangerous spots are numerous on popular mountain routes and off‑piste terrain and can be difficult to detect even for experienced observers. Conditions are in some cases critical for ski and snowshoe excursions and for off‑piste descents.
The snowpack is particularly unstable in the north and the southeast, where wind slabs have grown in size over the past two days. Off‑piste snow depth exceeds 60 centimetres above 2,500 metres in the northern sector, the meteorological service reports.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: