Hochschwab Mountains

Moderate avalanche danger at higher altitudes.

Moderate avalanche danger at higher altitudes.

The avalanche danger is moderate above the tree line (level 2) and low below. In particular, older snowdrift accumulations in the east and north sectors, especially behind ridgelines, terrain edges and in gullies and bowls, can be triggered as medium slab avalanches even by low additional loads. In addition, small, spontaneous wet snow avalanches are to be expected at medium altitudes and, on sunny slopes, also at high altitudes.

The snow cover, snowpack was able to settle somewhat due to the warmth. The snow became moist at medium altitudes. At high altitudes, wind slab snow lies on angular forms in the northern and eastern exposures. Weak layers are mainly found between drift and new fallen snow and the old snowpack (unstable layer of faceted crystals). In the foundation of the snow cover, kinetic metamorphism (floating snow) weakens the stability.

The coming night will be clear at first, with the first clouds moving in from the west after midnight. Thursday will not be as friendly as Wednesday, with a fairly compact band of cloud crossing Styria from the west. Sunshine will be more limited at times, but there will not be enough precipitation. Towards evening, the clouds will soften again from the west. The temperature at an altitude of 2000 metres will be between -1 and 2 degrees. The temperature at an altitude of 1500 metres will be around 3 degrees. The wind will be brisk with gusts of around 50 km/h from the north-west. The snowfall level is between 1700 and 2000 metres above sea level. No new fallen snow is expected.

On Friday and at the weekend, the weather will be quite sunny north of the main Alpine ridge, with low, high fog-like clouds accumulating more frequently from the south. The wind will shift to southeast to southwest. The risk of avalanches is decreasing.