Totes Gebirge South

New fallen snow and wind slabs increase the avalanche danger!

New fallen snow and wind slabs increase the avalanche danger!

The avalanche danger increases rapidly with altitude and is rated as considerable above approx. 1800 metres. The avalanche situation remains very delicate for alpinists. The persistent weak layer problem is still present and difficult to assess. In addition, fresh wind slab leads to an increase in avalanche danger. The avalanche prone locations are from north-west to east in terrain adjacent to ridgelines and at the entrances to gullies and bowls. Medium-sized slab avalanches can be triggered by individuals. It is very likely that avalanches will tear through to deeper layers.

Fresh wind slab overlays soft layers of faceted crystals and surface hoar. The persistent weak layer is weakened by the kinetic metamorphism. The wind slab falls cold and is brittle.

In the night to Sunday it will be cloudy and it will start to snow in the northern Alps. The wind picks up during the night and the snow showers spread to the Niedere Tauern. There will be hardly any snow further south. On Sunday, dense clouds will build up from the north until midday on the northern side of the Alps. There will be light snowfall with limited visibility, especially in the morning. The weather will improve in the afternoon. On the southern side of the Alps (Turracher Höhe), the north foehn will ensure sunny conditions from midday at the latest. There will be a strong northerly wind, even gale force in exposed areas. This will subside in the afternoon. It has cooled down considerably: the temperature at an altitude of 2000 metres is between -9 and -3 degrees. Strong winds with gusts of around 50 km/h from the west. The snowfall level is between the valleys and around 1100 metres above sea level. Amounts of new snow of up to 10 cm are expected.

Strong to stormy westerly winds will blow across the northern side of the Alps on Monday night as a warm front passes through. A few centimetres of new fallen snow may fall in the northern Limestone Alps. In the evening and during the night to Tuesday, a north-westerly weather pattern will set in, which will lead to renewed snowfall in the northern foothills. The considerable risk of avalanches remains.