Weisseck, Muhr Valley

Singular avalanche prone locations in the old snow

Singular avalanche prone locations in the old snow

Avalanche danger is low. Starting at about 2500 m, snowdrift accumulations can in isolated cases be triggered from the weight of one winter sports enthusiast, esp. on extended east-facing slopes. The risk of falling and sustaining injuries outweighs that of being buried in snow masses. As of about 2600m on purely shady slopes (NW to NE) there is a small problem with a persistent weak layer, where in a few places in steep terrain a small slab could be released by minimum additional loading. In general, there is still very little snow on the ground, thus the main danger stems from injuries in the terrain (falls, protruding stones, rocks, crevices, branches) rather than from snow and avalanches.

There is still very little snow on the ground, backcountry skiing tours are hardly possible. As of about 2600m on shady slopes, the snow from September has persisted and is very compact. Between the September snow and the November snow, some faceted crystals were found which could serve as a weak layer. On the surface at high and high alpine altitudes there is a bit of fresh fallen snow from this week, and snowdrifts. From place to place, the drifts were deposited on top of loosely-packed fresh snow.

On Monday there will be lots of sunshine in the morning hours, but cloudbanks will move through over the summits. In the afternoon, clouds will condense, visibility will become diffuse. Winds will continue to be light-to-moderate from SW directions. Temperatures will remain high (1-3 degrees at 2000m, -3 degrees at 3000m). On Monday night, clouds will solidify further, in the latter part of the night a cold front from the northwest will arrive. With this front, precipitation will also arrive, initially it can rain up to over 2000m. The snowfall level will then descend swiftly. On Tuesday skies will be cloudy, 5 to 15 cm of fresh snow is anticipated, accompanied by only mild wind influence. At 2000m at midday: -2 degrees; at 3000m: -10 degrees.

On Tuesday, danger levels are expected to rise slightly.