Tennen Mountains, Gosaukamm

Beware of fresh and snow-covered wind slabs in combination with persistent weak layers

It will be cloudy with snow showers during the night. The amount of new snow will be 5 to 10 cm, with the most snow falling in the northern Alps. The wind will blow briskly from westerly directions with gusts of around 60 kilometres per hour. The wind may reach the valleys at times. Visibility will be poor on Tuesday. Clouds and fog will dominate and it will snow, sometimes heavily and for longer periods. During the day it will snow a further 10 cm to 20 cm, with snowfall levels around 600 metres. The wind will continue to blow briskly to strongly from westerly directions. At 2000 m around -8 degrees, at 3000 m around -15 degrees.

Another 10 to 25 cm of new fallen snow, even more in places. This, and the snow of the past few days, is extensively transported and is very prone to triggering. Fresh and older wind slab snow overlaid with soft layers of faceted crystals and deep rime. In wind-protected, shady areas above around 2000 metres, surface hoar has also been snowed in to some extent. Fractures occur either in soft layers near the surface or around the crust that forms the transition to the completely angular old snowpack. In general, areas with little snow alternate with sometimes considerable snowdrift accumulations in a confined space with overall snow depths that are well below average.

Snowdrift accumulations remain prone to triggering, the persistent weak layer problem remains.

Beware of fresh and snow-covered wind slabs in combination with persistent weak layers

The avalanche risk is considerable above 1800 m and low below. On slopes of all aspects, medium-sized slab avalanches can easily be triggered by individuals in some places. Surface-triggered avalanches can tear through to deeper layers. In particular on north-west to north to east-facing slopes above 1800 metres. Danger areas increase with altitude, some of them are barely recognisable and require a defensive choice of route. Take care in particular near transitions from little to much snow, behind terrain edges, in the entrance areas to steep gullies and bowls and also in the forest boundary area or in forest aisles. Cracks when stepping on the snowpack are a sign of danger.