Hochschwab Mountains

Caution urged towards older, thinly blanketed snowdrifts. Avoid zones below glide cracks.

Caution urged towards older, thinly blanketed snowdrifts. Avoid zones below glide cracks.

Main danger: older snowdrifts. Danger zones occur mainly on N/E facing wind-loaded slopes and, in particular, behind protruberances and at entry points into gullies and bowls, where slab avalanches can be triggered by large addtional loading, in isolated cases also by minimum additional loading (1 person). On smooth grassy slopes naturally triggered glide-snow avalanches are possible, in isolated cases they can endanger exposed transportation routes. Zones below glide cracks should be avoided.

The fresh snow from Wednesday is bonding well with the snow from last weekend, but is becoming moist on sunny slopes. Buried snowdrifts are blanketed by fresher snowfall which has not been able to settle on shady slopes due to low temperatures. Weak layers are making the snow prone to triggering. The base at ground level is often moist, on steep grassy slopes the snowpack is still gliding.

Following a night of clear skies on Thursday with low temperatures and high fog in the valleys, a warm front will bring mild air masses our way on Friday. A few hours of sunshine, then heavy cloud cover from the west and skies will remain overcast for the rest of the day. Midday temperatures at 2000 m will reach +1 degree; at 1500 m, +4 degrees. Light to moderate SE, then W winds will be blowing. Also on the weekend, Atlantic perturbances will bring relatively mild air masses our way. In the valleys, cold air masses will produce high fog, clouds on the northern flank of the Alps above 1000 m will produce a bit of minor snowfall.

Temporarily higher temperatures will calm the snowdrift problem, but increase the wet-snow problem.