Hochschwab Mountains

Snowboards can easily be triggered!

Snowboards can easily be triggered!

The avalanche danger is still assessed as considerable (level 3) above 1500 metres. The persistent wind is leading to extensive snowdrift accumulations. These are prone to triggering, especially above the tree line. The main problem is the wind slab. The avalanche prone locations are adjacent to ridgelines and distant from ridgelines. Slopes from east to south to south-west are particularly affected. They are mainly located in gullies, bowls and behind terrain edges. The drift snow layer can be triggered as a snow slab by individual winter sports enthusiasts as a medium-sized avalanche. Sporadic loose snow avalanches are also possible. Small wet slides are possible at low altitude.

The cold temperatures at high altitude are preserving the snow layering. A lot of snow has been transported in the last few days. The wind slab has not yet been able to settle. The snowdrift accumulations have been deposited above the tree line on a partly still weak old snowpack. Weak layers can be found in the bound layer or in the transition to the old snow, at higher altitudes in places still in the persistent weak layer (faceted crystals in the area of crusts).

Along the northern side of the Alps, dense residual clouds will persist in places, but there will be hardly any snowfall. On Monday, there will only be brief sunny spells between two cloud banks. Lower and lower clouds will quickly build up on the slopes from the north and the peaks will soon be covered in fog. Around noon, it also starts to snow lightly from the west, with the snowfall level fluctuating between the valleys and 900 metres. The temperature at an altitude of 1500 metres will be around -2 degrees. Stormy winds with gusts between 60 and 90 km/h from the north-west.

The wind slab problem will continue. With a north-westerly current, dense clouds will continue to accumulate along the northern side of the Alps, and it may snow heavily on Tuesday and Wednesday, especially between the Schladminger Tauern and the Totes Gebirge. It will only snow a little to the east, and not at all in the south with clear clouds and strong winds.