Hochschwab Mountains

Considerable avalanche danger. Caution urged towards fresh drifts on E/S facing slopes.

Considerable avalanche danger. Caution urged towards fresh drifts on E/S facing slopes.

Considerable avalanche danger prevails at high altitude. Avalanche prone locations are the wide-ranging snowdrift accumulations on E/S facing slopes where slab avalanches can be triggered even by minimum additional loading, particularly in ridgeline zones, behind protruberances and at entries to gullies and bowls, but also in sparsely wooded zones - these all need to be evaluated critically. In addition, on north-facing slopes in shady terrain at high altitudes, isolated older snowdrift accumulations can be triggered as slab avalanches, particularly in transitions from shallow to deep snow - avoid them! At low altitudes the snowpack is largely stable due to temperature shifts over the last few days.

In Ennstal and Eisernerz Northern Alps up to 50 cm of fresh snow has been registered, amid heavy wind impact from the north. In southern and eastern regions wide-ranging fresh snowdrift accumulations have been generated. The fresh snow/drifts lie deposited atop a melt-freeze encrusted old snowpack or on older snowdrift masses. The fresh drifts are prone to triggering and can also contain weak layers. Also in transitions to the old snow, weak layers can be formed (cold on warm). In shady high altitude terrain, faceted crystals are weakening the fundament (persistent weak layer).

Sunday will bring slight weather improvement, but it will remain cold. In the morning, heavy clouds in the northern barrier cloud regions, in the afternoon some cloudbanks will pass through the southern regions and impair the sun somewhat. Winds will shift to northeasterly, and be strong in the Hochschwab region and the rimline ranges. Temperature at 2000m: -11 degrees.

Monday will be variably cloudy and cold. The snowdrift problem will slacken off.