Chiemgau Alps East

Caution urged toward glide snow and loose snow avalanche daytime danger cycle!

Caution urged toward glide snow and loose snow avalanche daytime danger cycle!

Above 1500 m avalanche danger is moderate and rises to considerable during the course of the day. Below 1500 m avalanche danger will rise from low to moderate. Main problem: wet snow. The danger of naturally triggering wet loose snow and slab avalanches in steep rocky intermediate altitude terrain and wind-loaded starting zones increases during the course of the day. Avalanches are mostly medium-sized; isolated avalanches can grow to large size. On steep smooth grass-covered slopes the snowpack can also slide over the ground, especially where the ground has been bare before the recent snowfall. Glide snow avalanches can grow to medium size. Therefore, stay clear of terrain below glide cracks. In addition, also pay heed to trigger-sensitive snowdrifts which can be triggered as slab avalanches by a single person engaged in snow sports. A number of avalanche prone locations are found in particular in steep ridgeline terrain in N/E/SW aspects as well as in wind-loaded gullies and bowls. Avalanches attain medium size.

Between 10 cm and 20 cm of new snow blanket extensive trigger-sensitive older snowdrift accumulations with low internal tension in steep ridgeline terrain which makes them difficult to detect. During the course of the day, rainfall gradually moistens the uppermost layers of the snowpack and leads to a loss of firmness at the boundary layers. In the valleys and at intermediate altitudes the new snow of recent days is deposited atop a mostly shallow moist old snowpack or directly on the bare ground.

The next few days will be variable; rainfall up to high altitudes. Winds will become brisker. The avalanche danger remains tense.