Lower Tauern South

Gliding snow activity increasing

Gliding snow activity increasing

Avalanche danger is MODERATE. Due to rising temperatures and lots of solar radiation, glide-snow avalanches continue to be the main danger: in all aspects at any time of day or night, medium-sized when triggering from terrain which has not yet discharged, plummeting down to greenlands, esp. in starting zones in NW/N/E facing terrain. Avoid zones below glide-cracks. As the day progresses, likelihood of small loose-snow slides will increase on sunny slopes and in rough and rocky terrain in all aspects, esp. on very steep W/N/E facing slopes above 2200m.

Due to nocturnal outgoing radiation a thin melt-freeze crust can form, softening quickly the next day. Beneath it the snowpack öon W/N/E facing slopes is often isotherm and moistened down to the ground. Reserves of cold are to be found only on high-alpine shady slopes. The slopes are becoming bare. In steep grass-covered terrain which has not yet discharged, glide-snow avalanches can release and plummet down to bare slopes.

Thin cirrus clouds will pass through during the night, the air will be mild, winds light. On Sunday, sunny and mild, cirrus clouds becoming somewhat heavier during the day, hampering the sunshine somewhat, visibility diffuse. At 2000 m: 10-14 degrees; at 3000 m: 4 degrees. The zero-degree level will be at 3600 m. The SW/NW winds will reach speeds of 40 km/hr.

A weather change is coming at the beginning of next week. On Monday, very little change in avalanche danger levels, temperatures will gradually drop, heavy clouds will move in from the northwest, rain showers will result, becoming heavier in afternoon. Initially rainfall up to 2500 m, wet-snow and gliding snow activity temporarily increasing. In the following days, a late-winter phase will prevail, snowdrifts will again become a threat at high altitudes.