Hochschwab Mountains

Naturally triggered wet-snow avalanches. Fresh drifts at high altitudes.

Naturally triggered wet-snow avalanches. Fresh drifts at high altitudes.

At high altitudes avalanche danger is moderate. On Monday night and in early morning hours on Tuesday, some naturally triggered wet-snow avalanches can be expected, only small releases. In very isolated cases during the daytime, naturally triggered glide-snow avalanches can release. At highest altitudes, isolated in east and west-facing terrain, fresh snowdrifts can trigger small slab avalanches.

The snowpack has used up its reserves of cold up to summit levels, is isotherm and moist. Due to rain penetration the snowpack will destabilize further at night, cool during the day and regain some stabilization. Only above the timberline will snowdrifts be generated anew.

On Monday night, intensive rainfall in the northern barrier cloud regions, then moving to the southern and eastern regions of Styria in early morning, temperatures noticeably dropping. Snowfall level on Monday evening above 2000 m, dropping in the latter part of the night (if precipitation slackens off) to below 1000 m. As of Tuesday morning in Gurktal and Seetal Alps, Seckauer Tauern and rimline ranges, heavy snowfall will set in, slackening off only in evening. The northern barrier cloud regions will be without precipitation during the day. Winds will be strong-to-stormy from N/NW, at 2000 m: dropping from +7 on Monday evening to -4 on Tuesday evening.

The weather will remain capricious and cool, repeated snowfall along the northern flank of the Alps is expected. The wet-snow problem will recede, the snowdrift problem will increase at high altitudes.