Date: 27/07/2020
Observations Summary
A wet day in the field yesterday. Travel and observations were limited to the sub-alpine where ski conditions were poor with the wet snow being ‘stop/start sticky’. The upper snowpack was losing cohesion due to the rain and becoming unsupportive to walking (50cm foot penetration).
Alpine Conditions
Sub-Alpine Conditions
Mountain environments can be categorised as above or below the tree line, thus Alpine and Subalpine respectively. Find out more about how these types of terrain can create or mitigate backcountry hazards here.
Travel & Terrain advice:
There is a lot of uncertainty at the moment with how the rain is impacting the snowpack. Temperatures remained above freezing overnight and in total there has been over 30mm of rain so far with this storm.
There are three concerns with backcountry travel today:
Whiteout - be prepared for whiteout navigation if venturing above the trees.
Exposure - with an apparent temperature of -9C and wet weather, there is an increased risk of hypothermia. Dress accordingly.
Avalanche - this is a substantial amount of rain on the snowpack. This new ‘load’ could affect preexisting weak layers. Avoid avalanche terrain.
Advisory Confidence: Moderate - uncertainty mainly with the avalanche hazard.
We need your eyes too. If you’ve been touring in the Alpine National Park we’d love to know what you have seen. Every little bit helps.
Weather Summary
Cloudy. Very high (90%) chance of showers. Snow falling above 1700 metres. Winds south to southeasterly 50 to 70 km/h increasing to 55 to 75 km/h in the late evening.