Lower Tauern South

Caution: wet snow problem persists. In high-alpine regions, caution urged towards hidden weak layers and fresh drifts.

Caution: wet snow problem persists. In high-alpine regions, caution urged towards hidden weak layers and fresh drifts.

Avalanche danger is moderate. Wet-snow avalanches can be triggered by one sole skier on steep slopes in all aspects in steep sunny terrain which has not yet discharged. Small-to-medium glide-snow avalanches can trigger naturally on extremely steep grass-covered slopes. Above 2300m, dry slab avalanches can still be triggered by one sole skier. Danger zones occur on very steep, little-tracked slopes on NW/NE facing slopes. Avalanches can fracture down to more deeply embedded layers in the snowpack and reach medium size. Small freshly generated snowdrift patches are often prone to triggering, esp. on very steep shady slopes in high-alpine ridgeline terrain. Apart from the danger of being buried in snow masses, the risks of being swept along and forced to take a fall demand adequate consideration.

Due to reduced nocturnal outgoing longwave radiation the snowpack surface can hardly cool and rapidly softens in the early morning hours. The snowpack is moist in all aspects up to high altitudes. On shady slopes at high and high-alpine altitudes the freshly generated foehn-induced drifts lie deposited atop an unfavorable snowpack surface. Inside the old snowpack are several weak layers of faceted crystals which can serve as a slab atop the fresh snowdrifts. Also on sunny slopes, moist slabs can slide away over the uppermost crusts of the old snowpack.

Thursday will initially endure low-lying foglike clouds on the northern flank of the Alps, some rainfall/snowfall is possible, snowfall level at 1600-1800m. Visibility starkly reduced to start with, except at high altitudes. During the daytime hours clouds will disperse but for some residual ones. South of the Tauern, sunshine and brisk northerly winds. At high altitudes on the Main Alpine Ridge, gusts will reach 60 km/hr, elsewhere winds will be lighter. At 2000m: -3 to 0 degrees; at 3000m: -7 degrees. On Thursday night skies will clear up, winds will taper off significantly.

Little change expected. Strong solar radiation and slight rise in daytime temperatures will increase the wet-snow problem at high and high-alpine altitudes.