Fischbach Alps East, Wechsel

Favorable conditions for backcountry tours continue

Favorable conditions for backcountry tours continue

Low danger prevails in Styria. Isolated avalanche prone locations occur on N/E-facing slopes, where there is a persistent weak layer (deeply embedded). A slab avalanche triggering on extremely steep shady slopes cannot be ruled out. Since the loose powder cover cannot bond with the crusts beneath it, there is acute risk of falling on very steep slopes.

Along the Niedere Tauern and Northern Alps the compact old snowpack is melt-freeze encrusted and, depending on aspect, more or less capable of bearing loads. While sunny slopes have melt-freeze crusts, shady slopes have hardened, often icy surfaces. Atop them in wind-protected zones is often loose powder, mostly without bonding to the old snowpack beneath. Also in shady forest lanes the snow is (because of the cold) unbonded and quite loose. South of the Mur-Mürz Rift the snowpack is also stable, snow depths are meagre. Melt-freeze and wind crusts tend to dominate. In zones where the snow is shallow the snowpack is expansively metamorphosed (faceted).

The Eastern Alps lie at the eastern edge of a high-pressure front extending from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. From the north, cold and dry air masses are being brought to Styria. On Tuesday there will initially be low lying clouds from the Ennstal Alps eastwards, these will disperse in the course of the morning. By midday, sunshine is expected throughout the mountains. In the afternoon along the Northern Alps and the Fischbacher Alpls, some high-altitude cloudbanks will pass through. Northerly winds will be light, only in the Wechsel region will winds be brisk. West of the Liezen-Judenburg line, temperatures at midday at 2000 m will be -7 degrees; at 1500 m: -3 degrees; east of the line: -11 to -7 degrees. The pronounced high over Central Europe will persist on Wednesday. Except for a few clouds, persistent only in the Styrian rimline ranges to start with, it will be sunny everywhere. Light to moderate winds, and a tad warmer.

Little change is expected in the avalanche situation, the favourable conditions will dominate.