Lower Tauern North

Loss of firmness in the path of the sun

Loss of firmness in the path of the sun

Avalanche danger is LOW in early morning, then rises to MODERATE. In sun-drenched steep terrain small-to-medium wet loose-snow avalanches are possible in some spots, either naturally or skier-caused. Also glide-snow avalanches (medium to large) are possible in steep grassy terrain. Very few danger zones exist in transitions where snow is shallow in shady steep terrain (persistent weak layer). There, large additional loading could trigger a slab which could grow to medium size.

The snowpack is generally encrusted and softens up with varying swiftness, depending on steepness and aspect. On steep sunny slopes the snowpack loses its firmness. On very steep grassy slopes the snowpack is sliding in entirety over the ground. Beneath the superficial melt-freeze crusts there are faceted soft layers (persistent weak layer) but these are currently unlikely to trigger.

On Saturday following a night of frequently clear skies, sunshine until afternoon; thereafter convective cloud will make itself noticeable, the peaks can temporarily disappear in fog. At 2000 m: -5 to -3 degrees; at 3000 m: -9 degrees. The SE winds can reach 40 km/hr. On Saturday night, clear skies. But southerly foehn wind will hamper the cooling. During the daytime on Sunday, sunshine will often be unimpaired, amid strong southerly winds (40-60 km/hr). At 2000 m: -6 to -3 degrees; at 3000 m: -9 degrees.

On Sunday in the foehn-influenced regions, swift loss of firmness and the naturally triggered avalanches will be launched early in the day. Freshly generated snowdrifts from the foehn wind. Where there is no wind, the melt-freeze crust will transform to firn snow.