Hochschwab Mountains

Warmth and solar radiation increasing danger due to wet snow

Warmth and solar radiation increasing danger due to wet snow

Avalanche danger is subject to a daytime cycle rising from low to medium. On sunny slopes, small naturally triggered wet-snow avalanches can be expected on steep rocky slopes. When the snowpack is thoroughly wet later in the day, large wet slab avalanches cannot be ruled out. On steep grassy slopes, glide-snow avalanches can release. Open glide cracks are indicators of imminent danger, they should be circumvented. In addition, in extremely steep shady entries into gullies and bowls at high altitudes, isolated slab avalanches can be triggered by minimum additional loading.

Persistent warmth over the last few days has moistened the snowpack on sunny slopes up to high altitudes. On shady slopes where there are more reserves of cold there are still layers of faceted crystals inside the snowpack which will be activated as weak layers when the snowpack soon becomes moist. In most regions the snowpack was able to have sufficient outgoing radiation at night, re-firming the snowpack. In general, rapid moistening and destabilization of the snowpack can be expected on sunny slopes during the course of the day. At intermediate altitudes sunny slopes are becoming bare of snow, even above that altitude depths are below average.

Wednesday will be largely sunny and mild. In early morning, heavy cloud, later on nearly cloudless skies. Moderate to grisk W/NW winds. At 2000 m: +5 degrees. Thursday will start out sunny, but cloud cover will move in later in the day. It will remain mild.

Main danger: wet-snow. Avalanche danger levels are not expected to change.