Werdenfels Alps

Increasing avalanche danger in daytime danger cycle

Increasing avalanche danger in daytime danger cycle

Avalanche danger is low in the morning hours, then rises to moderate in the afternoon above 1600m. Main problem: wet snow. On slopes with sufficient snow in extremely steep terrain, wet loose-snow avalanches can trigger naturally or be triggered by persons on extremely steep slopes. Danger zones will increase during the course of the day. Loose-snow avalanches are mostly small-sized. Wet glide-snow avalanches can trigger at any time of day or night over smooth slopes, grass-covered terain, in sparsely wooded zones and over smooth rock plates. Glide-snow avalanches can reach medium size in isolated cases.

A melt-freeze crust forms during the nighttime hours in many places, then softens up due to daytime warming. At high altitudes, a few cm of fresh snow lie deposited atop a moist old snowpack surface. All in all, the snowpack in all aspects is thoroughly wet up to high altitudes. At high altitudes the layers inside the snowpack are dissolving. On south-facing slopes up to high altitudes, hardly any snow on the ground. On shady slopes, there is snow on the ground above 1400m.

Due to lacking nocturnal outgoing radiation, avalanche danger levels increase more quickly