Ybbstaler Alpen

Note fresh snow packs prone to triggering.

Note fresh snow packs prone to triggering.

Above the tree line there is moderate avalanche danger (level 2). The soft new fallen snow was transported by strong west to north-westerly winds. Fresh snowdrift accumulations have formed, especially in the north to south-east aspects. Adjacent to ridgelines and in gullies and bowls, these can be triggered by winter sports enthusiasts as slab avalanches in some places. Occasional triggering is also possible in forest aisles. There is still a persistent weak layer problem on shady slopes at high altitudes. Avalanches can occasionally tear through angular weak layers and reach medium size.

In the last few days, 10 to 20 cm of new fallen snow has fallen across the region, with more than 20 cm locally in the Ybbstal Alps. The snow was transported by strong westerly to north-westerly winds. The fresh drift snow packs are lying on decomposed snow or older drift snow layers and are prone to triggering in places. The underlying old snowpack is unfavourably structured in places with crusts and embedded faceted crystals. There are weak layers both at the transitions to the wind slab and within the old snowpack. With the onset of precipitation, some new fallen snow will be added in the afternoon above around 1000 metres, below which rain or sleet may moisten the snowpack.

The evening and night will be cloudy but without precipitation. On Thursday, an area of low pressure forms over the Upper Adriatic. Cloud cover will increase and the peaks will become increasingly cloudy. Precipitation sets in in the afternoon. Initially, the snowfall level will be around 1000 metres, dropping rapidly to low altitudes in the evening. Temperatures will rise significantly in the night to Thursday. At midday it will be around -1 degrees at 2000 m and around +2 degrees at 1500 m. A marked cooling will follow in the night to Friday. During the day, strong to stormy southerly winds with gusts of between 50 and 80 km/h will blow at higher altitudes; in the evening and on Friday night, the wind will shift to the north-west to north-east.

Heavy precipitation will spread from the south-east during the night to Friday. The snowfall level is in the valleys. By Friday morning, 10 to 25 cm of new fallen snow will have fallen. The avalanche risk increases slightly on Friday.