Hochschwab Mountains

Favourable conditions, poor visibility

Favourable conditions, poor visibility

Throughout Styria, favorable conditions generally prevail, with low avalanche danger. The fresh snow is bonding well with the old snowpack, hardly any avalanche prone locations are being formed. In extremely steep terrain, naturally triggered avalanches can nevertheless release. Also, naturally triggered glide-snow avalanches continue to be possible, though they are becoming more seldom due to dropping temperatures. In entry zones into steep north-facing gullies a slab triggering in the partly trigger-sensitive old snow cannot be ruled out.

On Thursday there was up to 15 cm of fresh snow registered, amid light winds, which is bonding well with the old snowpack. Due to descending temperatures, the moist snowpack is stabilizing, but in transition zones the snow masses are still moist-to-wet. At intermediate altitudes the slopes are becoming still barer of snow. At high altitudes in steep north-facing gullies there are still trigger-sensitive weak layers of faceted crystals.

The precipitation will slacken off during the night, in early morning rainfall/snowfall is expected only in some regions, the snowfall level lies at or below 1000 m. Later on, hardly any further precipitation but the cloud cover will remain dense. Visibility will remain poor. During the afternoon, showers will begin anew from the west. Winds will be light from varying directions. Temperatures will descend further. At 2000 m: -2 degrees.

On Saturday, heavy cloud all day long. Light snowfall down to the valley floors and rising northerly winds. The snowdrift problem is slowly coming to the forefront.