Hochschwab Mountains

Moderate avalanche danger due to snowdrifts at high altitude

Moderate avalanche danger due to snowdrifts at high altitude

Moderate avalnche danger prevails above the timberline. As a result of new snow and often stormy winds, fresh, trigger-sensitive snowdrift accumulations were generated. Depending on their depths, small-to-medium sized slab avalanches can be triggered by large, sometimes by minimum additional loading, i.e. one sole skier. Avalanche prone locations increase with ascending altitude, are found particularly in N/E/S aspects in gullies, bowls and behind protruberances, sometimes (depending on wind impact) in forest clearances. High exposed zones are utterly windblown, often hard and icy.

Since mid-week, about 20 cm, in places 30 cm of fresh snow has been registered under heavy wind impact, behind protruberances new drifts have accumulated which often blanket hardened melt-freeze encrusted snowpack surfaces and soft layers which constitute weak layers. Surface hoar has also formed in places, now covered by fresh drifts. The old snowpack has been weakened in places by faceted crystals in the vicinity of the melt-freeze crusts.

On Saturday, heavy cloud can be expected through Styria. The typical northern barrier cloud regions will be struck most of all, and here there could be some minor snowfall. The southern massifs will enjoy more favorable conditions, less cloud, and dispersing increasingly. Winds will intensify, blowing at strong velocity, at storm strength at summit levels, from the northwest. Temperature: -10 degrees at 2000 m, -6 degrees at 1500 m. It will remain wintery cold.

On Saturday night, winds will temporarily shift to southwesterly, meaning that snowdrifts can be deposited on north-facing slopes. During the daytime winds will again be northwesterly, gray skies can be expected, light snowfall is possible. Temperatures will be -9 degrees at 2000 m, -6 degrees at 1500 m. Avalanche danger levels are not expected to change significantly. Most of all, drifts at high altitudes require attentiveness.