Kalmberg, Katergebirge

Considerable avalanche danger!

Considerable avalanche danger!

The avalanche risk is predominantly categorised as considerable. Fresh, extensive and older snowdrift accumulations are prone to triggering. The triggering of slab avalanches is possible even with low additional loads. There are avalanche prone locations in steep terrain, in all aspects, adjacent to ridgelines as well as distant from ridgelines at terrain transitions and in transition areas from more to less snow. With the strong warming during the daytime changes, spontaneous slab avalanches, including wet snow avalanches, are to be expected at higher elevations. In general, avalanches will be medium to rare in size.

There was a large increase in fresh snow on Tuesday. Depending on the region and altitude, there were 30 to 50 and locally even more. Stormy winds caused extensive drifting. The snowfall level was between 1000 and 1400 metres. The extensive drift snow packs of the last few days contain weak layers and lie on a weak foundation. At low and medium elevations, the snowpack is moist to wet. At higher elevations, the snowpack is beginning to settle with the rapid rise in temperatures and is becoming increasingly wet and heavy.

The mountain weather will be windy and changeable on Monday. At first it will rain and snow from dense clouds with snowfall levels around 1700 metres. As the day progresses, the clouds will soften at times with the westerly wind and a few rain and snow showers will pass through from time to time. At high altitudes, the wind will reach speeds of around 70 km/h. Temperatures at 1500 metres will be around 2 degrees, at 2000 metres around -2 degrees. In the second half of Tuesday until midday on Tuesday, there will be snowfall again (around 20 cm, significantly more at higher altitudes) and rain with a snowfall level of around 1200 metres. The precipitation will subside in the afternoon and the initially strong to stormy westerly/north-westerly winds will ease. At 1500 m around -1 degrees and at 2000 m around -4 degrees.

The avalanche danger will slowly decrease over the next few days.