Bregenzerwald Mountains

Increasingly frequent wet-snow avalanches due to higher temperatures and rainfall

Increasingly frequent wet-snow avalanches due to higher temperatures and rainfall

Avalanche danger is moderate. Due to higher daytime temperatures and rain impact, increasingly frequent naturally triggered wet slides and avalanches are possible in zones which have not yet discharged. On steep grassy slopes, glide-snow avalanches still threaten. Isolated small-to-medium avalanches can still be triggered in extremely steep terrain.

As a result of fresh snow and winds, fresh snowdrift accumulations were generated with increasing altitude over the last few days which can now stabilize due to warmth and solar radiation. The moist old snowpack surface is well consolidated. Due to the lack of nocturnal outgoing radiation it cannot freeze over and thus, softens quickly in the daytime. Isolated weak layers are possible trigger-sensitive on steep shady slopes. At low and intermediate altitudes the ground is often bare of snow, esp. on sunny slopes. Avalanche Warning Services no longer have as much information from these regions.

Nocturnal hours: scattered clouds in the early part of the night, denser clouds will move in later bringing rainfall in early morning, possibly intensive in the northern regions. Snowfall level just below 2000 m and ascending. Mostly dry in Montafon. Friday: most of the peaks hidden in fog, plus rainfall between Bregenzerwald and Lechtal Alps, less further south. Snowfall level will lie at 2400 m. At 2000 m: 4 degrees. Strong westerly winds.

Probably rain showers on Saturday morning, but clouds will soon disperse, in the afternoon largely dry and quite sunny with convective cloud build-up and high-altitude clouds from the south. It will remain warm. Due to lack of nocturnal outgoing radiation, the snowpack can hardly freeze, thus, wet-snow avalanches continue to be likely.