Hochschwab Mountains

Fresh snowdrift patches at high altitudes

Fresh snowdrift patches at high altitudes

With dropping temperatures and lack of radiation, the danger of wet-snow avalanches is again diminishing. However, as a result of fresh snow and winds shifting to northerly, fresh snowdrift accumulations are being generated at high altitudes, deposited particularly on E/S facing slopes behind abrupt drops in the terrain and in bowls.

Due to higher temperatures last weekend with some rain impact, as well as the lack of nocturnal radiation, the snowpack is moist-to-instably wet up to high altitudes. As cold air moves in outgoing, the snowpack will regain some of its firmness. At intermediate altitudes (below 1500 m) the slopes are becoming bare of snow, what snow there is, is moist-to-wet.

On Sunday night, a cold front from the west will move in, bringing lots of clouds and precipitation which will spread over the entire mountain landscape during the course of the day on Monday. Snowfall level at 1800 m. Winds will shift from SW to NW. At midday: -1 degrees at 2000 m; +2 degrees at 1500 m. Instable weather conditions also on Tuesday. Following a morning which is cloudy but dry, the peaks will disappear in fog, and widespread rainfall or snow showers will set in. Intensifying NW winds. Temperatures will drop.

The snowdrift problem is in the foreground, but mainly at high altiudes to start with