Hochschwab Mountains

Beware of prone to triggering persistent weak layers in the high altitudes!

Beware of prone to triggering persistent weak layers in the high altitudes!

The avalanche danger is rated as moderate above 1,800 metres and low below that. Slab avalanches can be triggered in some places even with little additional load and can reach medium size when breaking through the persistent weak layer. The danger areas are located in particular in the north-west to east aspects behind ridgelines and terrain edges as well as in the entrance areas to steep gullies and bowls. In particular, transitions from a little to a lot of snow and the edges of fresh and older snow packs should be avoided.

Surface hoar forms during the night. Fresh snowdrift accumulations form due to the stormy south wind. At high altitudes, fresh and older wind slab snow lies in the extended northern and eastern exposures on an unstable snow cover, snowpack with weak layers of faceted crystals and floating snow. Fresh and older drift snow packs form the snow slab on the existing weak layers and are prone to triggering. On the sunny slopes, the snow cover, snowpack is mostly settled and quite compact. On the sunny slopes, the slopes in some regions are bare up to 2000 metres.

The night will be clear and the wind will continue to blow strongly to gale force from the south. There will be practically no change in the weather on Tuesday. Very dry air masses and glorious sunshine from early to late. Visibility will be excellent. The strong, stormy southerly wind from the Niedere Tauern to the Hochschwab will continue to be a nuisance in exposed areas. The temperature at an altitude of 2000 metres is between -2 and 2 degrees. The temperature at an altitude of 1500 metres is between -9 and -4 degrees.

No change in the avalanche danger. The southerly wind will shift more to the west on Wednesday and become significantly weaker. It will be a touch colder, especially on the northern side of the Alps, cooling down to -1 degrees at 2000 metres. Otherwise it will remain widely cloudless.