Hochschwab Mountains

Caution: fresh, increasingly frequent snowdrift accumulations. Beware still: glide-snow avalanches.

Caution: fresh, increasingly frequent snowdrift accumulations. Beware still: glide-snow avalanches.

As of intermediate altitudes, avalanche danger is moderate. On very steep wooded and grassy slopes and smooth rocky slopes in all aspects, glide-snow avalanches can still release, mostly small-to-medium. Avoid zones below glide cracks. Increasing amounts of fresh snow and brisk W/NW wines will form small fresh snowdrifts. Slab avalanches can be triggered by 1 person behind protruberances, in gullies and bowls and in wooded zones. Danger zones increase with ascending altitude. Danger zones hard to recognize.

The snowpack is stabilizing due to lower temperatures, regaining firmness on the surface. The snowpack base is moist/wet, which leads to a gliding snow problem. On shady slopes the surface is often still dry, but faceted crystals and surface hoar can form, atop of which fresh snow and drifts get deposited, bonding is often poor. On higher-altitude shady slopes, faceted crystals near deeply embedded melt-freeze crusts weaken the snowpack.

Brisk (higher up, stormy) W/NW winds are bringing some snowfall to the northern flank of the Alps. Milder: snowfall level will ascend to nearly 1300 m. South of the Alps, conditions are more pleasant, longer periods of sunshine. At 2000 m: -2 degrees at midday, in the evening the precipitation will intensify on the northern flank of the Alps and winds will get stronger.

Northern barrier clouds, inhospitable conditions. Strong NW winds, gusts at gale strength, snowfall in Upper Styria will be heavy and persistent. Avalanche danger increasing.