Hochschwab Mountains

Moderate avalanche danger at higher altitudes. Even a single person can trigger a slab avalanche, and naturally triggered avalanches are also possible in isolated cases!

Moderate avalanche danger at higher altitudes. Even a single person can trigger a slab avalanche, and naturally triggered avalanches are also possible in isolated cases!

The avalanche danger is moderate above the tree line (level 2) and low below. In particular, older snowdrift accumulations, but also bonded snow in all aspects can be triggered as medium slab avalanches in some places, especially behind ridgelines, terrain edges and in gullies and bowls, even with a small additional load. Sporadic spontaneous slab avalanches are also possible. In addition, small, spontaneous wet snow avalanches can be expected at lower elevations and also at higher elevations on the sunny side.

Up to 70 cm of new fallen snow has fallen since Thursday. The snow has been transported to the eastern sectors by stormy westerly to north-westerly winds over a large area, but locally all cardinal points and also forest aisles below the tree line can be affected. As a result of the warming, a bound snow layer will also develop in places where there was previously unbound powder. Weak layers are mainly found between drift and new fallen snow and the old snowpack (unstable layer of faceted crystals). In the foundation of the snow cover, kinetic metamorphism (floating snow) weakens the stability.

In the night to Wednesday, the last clouds clear and during the day, the best mountain weather prevails from early to late. However, the air will be somewhat hazy, so visibility will be somewhat limited. At the same time, it will be very mild with +1 to +3 degrees at 2000 metres. The wind will be weak in the morning, then freshen up from midday and blow briskly, even strongly from the north-west in the eastern mountain groups.

With the influence of high pressure, the coming days will be trouble-free. Occasionally, dense clouds will cover the sun, but rain or snowfall is not in sight for the time being. Slowly but surely, the temperature will drop again at all altitudes. The risk of avalanches is decreasing.