Fischbach Alps East, Wechsel

Heed isolated snowdrift accumulations according to wind signs. Avoid zones below glide-cracks.

Heed isolated snowdrift accumulations according to wind signs. Avoid zones below glide-cracks.

Avalanche danger is low. At the forefront is the glide-snow problem in the zones where snowfall is heaviest. Slopes below glide-cracks should be avoided at all costs. Due to the lack of transportable snow, the permanently storm-strength winds have not been able to generate new snowdrift accumulations. Isolated patches are small, can occur in all aspects. Large weak layers are currently unlikely. On slopes which are shady at high altitudes, the persistent weak layer still threatens, most recently in the form of blanketed surface hoar or faceted crystals beneath melt-freeze crusts. In exposed terrain, i.e. windblown gullies, it is hard and icy, danger of being forced to take a fall.

The change from higher to lower temperatures has stablized the snowpack. The surfaces are melt-freeze encrusted, on shady slopes there is compressed powder. Due to the lack of fresh snow there was not much in the way of new snowdrifts which could be generated and deposited on the shallow snowpack in the form of a thin, soft layer on the melt-freeze crust of the old snowpack.

Stormy NW winds are supplying moist and instable air masses to the northern flank of the Alps. A front system will reach the Northern Alps and northern Niedere Tauern tonight and provide heavy cloud cover and stormy NW winds until midday. In the summit zones above, about 20 cm of fresh snow is expected. The snowfall level will lie at 1000 m. During the course of the morning clouds will disperse from the west, it will become quite sunny between Dachstein, Totes Gebirge and Ennstal Alps, whereas in the Hochschwab region and eastwards therefrom, it will remain gray. The southern flank of the Alps will have better conditions on leeward slopes, at most a few shower clouds in the morning abover the Tauern and further to the southeast. Temperature at midday at 2000 m: -6 degrees; at 1500 m: -1 degree. On Thursday, an intermediate high will bring quite sunny and milder weather.

No significant change in avalanche danger levels is expected.