Lechquellen Mountains

Caution urged towards trigger-sensitive snowdrifts. Increasing glide-snow avalanches due to rainfall and higher temperatures.

Caution urged towards trigger-sensitive snowdrifts. Increasing glide-snow avalanches due to rainfall and higher temperatures.

The major problem: freshly generated snowdrifts. Avalanche prone locations are found mostly in W-N-SE facing steep ridgeline terrain and wind-loaded gullies and bowls. Slab avalanches can be triggered by one single person. At high altitudes the triggerings can grow to large size. Activities in outlying terrain away from secured ski pistes require much experience in assessing avalanche dangers in open terrain. In areas at low and intermediate altitudes where there is rain impact, increasingly frequent naturally triggered small-to- (in isolated cases) medium sized glide-snow avalanches can be expected on steep, smooth, grassy slopes and hillsides. Small wet-snow avalanches are also possible.

The fresh fallen snow of the last few days was transported by strong winds and generated new snowdrift accumulations. With increasing altitude they become more prone to triggering. The fresh snow and drifts are often poorly bonded to the old snowpack or to the latest layers inside the snowpack. Particularly on very steep shady slopes above about 2200m the snowpack shows evidence of unfavourable intermediate layers. At low altitudes the snow fell on bare ground. There is currently little data available to the Avalanche Warning Service about the snowpack.

The day will begin with a warm front and lots of cloud cover, making conditions gray. Light snowfall down to low lying areas in early morning, later turning to sleet and ultimately, to rain in the Rhine Valley and on Lake Constance. The snowfall level will ascend over the course of the day, by afternoon it will lie at 1000m and above. During the night, snowfall and rainfall will continue. Intense snow transport at high altitudes. Temperature at 2000m: -10 to -3 degrees. Strong to stormy W/SW winds at high altitudes.

Conditions will remain instable. Further snowfall down to low lying areas. Avalanche danger levels are not expected to change significantly. The next avalanche bulletin will be published on Friday at latest.