Allgäu Alps West

Mostly moderate danger, glide-snow avalanches, fresh drifts

Mostly moderate danger, glide-snow avalanches, fresh drifts

As a result of fresh snow and strong NW winds, mostly small but trigger-prone snowdrift accumulations will be generated in the course of the day. Near-surface layers and older drifts are still prone to triggering. Such danger zones occur mostly in transitions from shallow to deeper snow or on heavily wind-loaded slopes. Avalanches can be triggered by large additional loading and grow to medium size. Backcountry sports require prudent route selection. Caution urged near cornices. The situation is more critical at high altitudes, loose-snow avalanches are possible esp. in steep sunny and rocky tererain. Glide-snow avalanches are still a threat on steep grass-covered and rocky slopes in all aspects, avoid zones below glide cracks.

On shady slopes or where radiation is flat, there is often loose snow. On steep sunny slopes the uppermost layers of the snowpack are often melt-freeze encrusted and capable of bearing loads. Bonding is mostly adequate, sometimes with blanketed graupel. Fractures in more deeply embedded layers of the snowpack have not been registered recently. In early morning often a hard-to-icy surface. The warm ground and the moist-to-wet snowpack are reinforcing gliding snow movement.

Nocturnal hours: In the early part of the night, clear skies, clouding up from the north after midnight. Thursday daytime: Moderate to heave snowfall from the north arriving by midday, rainfall below 1300 to 1100 m. At 2000 m: -1 degree. Brisk to strong N/W winds.

By Friday morning, a few cm of fresh snow is expected, then dry conditions will return. Avalanche danger will rise somewhat on Thursday night. On the weekend, danger will gradually recede.