Hochschwab Mountains

Persistent weak layer problem in northern and eastern aspects!

Persistent weak layer problem in northern and eastern aspects!

The avalanche risk is assessed as moderate above 1,800 metres and low below that. Slab avalanches can be triggered in some places even with little additional load and can reach medium size when breaking through the persistent weak layer. The danger areas are located in particular in the north to east aspects behind ridgelines and terrain edges as well as in the entrance areas to steep gullies and bowls. As visibility is poor and the avalanche prone locations are sometimes covered by a thin layer of soft new fallen snow, they are not always easy to recognise.

A few centimetres of soft new fallen snow covers surface hoar and, at higher altitudes, older wind slabs in the northern and eastern exposures on an unstable snowpack with weak layers of faceted crystals and floating snow. On the sunny slopes, the old snowpack is mostly settled and quite compact.

After a partly clear night, Saturday will be largely cloudy in the Styrian mountains. Only in the north-east (Hochschwab, Mürzsteg Alps, Wechsel region) will the sun peep through from time to time. Otherwise, the peaks will soon be covered in fog and visibility will deteriorate noticeably. Some snowfall is also possible, most likely in the Gurktal Alps and the Niedere Tauern, then further east in the afternoon. However, the amount of new snow will remain insignificant at less than 5 centimetres. Even in areas adjacent to the ridgeline, crest or summit, the wind will blow only weakly from the south. At an altitude of 2000 metres it will be around -3 degrees at midday.

It may snow a little from the south and east on Sunday and the avalanche risk could increase slightly. The forecasts are still uncertain, however, and it remains to be seen how much snow will ultimately fall and whether the northern congestion regions will also receive new fallen snow.