Mürztal Alps

Moderate avalanche danger above treeline, due to snowdrifts

Moderate avalanche danger above treeline, due to snowdrifts

Above the timberline, moderate avalanche danger prevails, as a result of snowdrift accumulations. Danger zones occur initially in E/S aspects, later in the day also in northern aspects there will be snowdrift accumulations, and thus, danger zones, particularly behind protruberances and at entries into gullies and bowls, where in isolated cases a slab avalanche can be triggered even by one person.

The snowpack base is thin, melt-freeze encrusted and compact due to warm phases and rain impact. Atop of it on Saturday, up to 30 cm of fresh snow was deposited, first without much wind, latere with strong-to-stormy NW winds, transporting the snow and depositing new drifts on E/S facing slopes. Starting on Monday, southerly winds will generate new snowdrift accumulations on north-facing slopes. Weak layers inside the fresh snow have been preserved by the cold. Furthermore, in transitions from the warm snowpack base to the cold fresh snow/drifts, a weak layer can form.

On Monday a warm front will bring higher temperatures plus compact, medium-altitude cloud cover. Summits are expected to remain in the clear, not much sunshine is expected except in the rimline ranges in the morning. Winds will shift to southwesterly and intensify, esp. in the eastern mountain ranges. At 2000 m: measurably rising temperatures reaching -4 degrees

On Tuesday morning, some sunshine, but clouds will move in during the afternoon from the southwest and in the Upper Murtal and Koralpe light snowfall will set in. Weak laysers in the fresh snow will deteriorate as the snow settles, avalanche danger levels decrease slowly. As of Wednesday the snowdrift problem could intensify again due to fresh snowfall south of the Main Alpine Ridge.