Weisseck, Muhr Valley

Skiable terrain is still prone to triggering. Wind slab lies on weak old snowpack

Skiable terrain is still prone to triggering. Wind slab lies on weak old snowpack

The avalanche risk is moderate above around 2000 metres and low below. Slab avalanches can be triggered in some places by low additional loads and can reach medium size. Both drift snowpacks and the weakly built-up old snowpack can be disturbed, fractures can tear through. Avalanche prone locations increase rapidly from the tree line upwards. They are concentrated from west to north to east, in some places in the southern sector in the high Alps, and generally next to blown-off areas. Drift snow areas should be avoided. Whumpfing collapsing sounds when stepping on the snowpack can indicate danger. Terrain traps are less full due to a lack of snow and are therefore more effective.

The local snow surface varies greatly. There are areas with little snow next to considerable snowdrift accumulations. In places, these are built up and soft, in places hard as a board. A thin melt-freeze crust usually forms overnight, but outgoing longwave radiation is reduced. Traces of new fallen snow lie on top. At the transition to the old snowpack, there are faceted crystals on and under the crust, which can serve as a reactive weak layer. Fractures in the persistent weak layer usually occur here. Deeper in the old snowpack there is a sequence of faceted crystals, crusts and a lot of deep rime. The total snow depth is well below average.

The night will start clear at first, but in the second half of the night, denser cloud fields will move in from the south and a few snowflakes may fall. The sun will only rarely appear on Saturday. There will also be low cloud along the Tauern mountains, where it may snow lightly at times, but no more than 5 cm should accumulate. At high altitudes there will be southerly winds with gusts of around 50 km/h, otherwise mostly only weak. At 2000 metres the temperature will be -5 to -2 degrees, at 3000 metres around -8 degrees.

The avalanche danger increases with some fresh wind slab within the danger level.