Fischbach Alps East, Wechsel

Heed isolated snowdrift accumulations according to wind signs. Avoid zones below glide-cracks.

Heed isolated snowdrift accumulations according to wind signs. Avoid zones below glide-cracks.

Avalanche danger is low. At the forefront is the glide-snow problem in the zones where snowfall is heaviest. Slopes below glide-cracks should be avoided at all costs. Due to the lack of transportable snow, the permanently storm-strength winds have not been able to generate new snowdrift accumulations. Isolated patches are small, can occur in all aspects. Large weak layers are currently unlikely. On slopes which are shady at high altitudes, the persistent weak layer still threatens, most recently in the form of blanketed surface hoar or faceted crystals beneath melt-freeze crusts. In exposed terrain, i.e. windblown gullies, it is hard and icy, danger of being forced to take a fall.

The change from higher to lower temperatures has stablized the snowpack. The surfaces are melt-freeze encrusted, on shady slopes there is compressed powder. Due to the lack of fresh snow there was not much in the way of new snowdrifts which could be generated and deposited on the shallow snowpack in the form of a thin, soft layer on the melt-freeze crust of the old snowpack.

After the cold front and its precipitation have passed through the weather will change. The air current will shift to northwesterl, the moist-cold air masses will bring us lots of fresh snow in the northern barrier cloud regions by Wednesday. Already on Monday night snowfall will set in along the Northern Alps and Niedere Tauern, persist until at least Tuesday midday. Graupel is also possible in this precipitation. After a brief interim from an intermediate high in the afternoon with brief intervals of brightness, on Tuesday night the snowfall will set in again and continue until Wednesday midday, as the snowfall level also ascends somewhat. By Wednesday between Dachstein and Totes Gebirge there could be as much as 45 cm of fresh snow; in the Hochschwab region about 30 cm. The precipitation will be accompanied by stormy NW winds. Temperatures at Tuesday at 2000 m: -9 degrees; at 1500 m: -5 degrees. The southern regions will benefit from all this, northerly foehn wind will disperse the clouds on both days, it will be sunny. Only over the Niedere Tauern will some clouds bring brief showers further south. Temperatures at all altitudes will be about 2 degrees higher than on the northern flank of the Alps.

With further fresh snow in combination with stormy winds, avalanche danger will increase also at lower altitudes.