Weisseck, Muhr Valley

Wind slab on weak old snowpack. Lots of stones.

Wind slab on weak old snowpack. Lots of stones.

The avalanche risk is moderate above 2000 metres and low below. Slab avalanches can be triggered in a few places by low additional loads and can reach medium size. Both fresh and older drift snowpacks as well as the weakly built-up old snowpack can be disturbed, fractures can tear through. Avalanche prone locations increase rapidly from the tree line upwards. They are concentrated from west to north to east, in some places in the southern sector in the high Alps, and generally next to blown-off areas. Drift snow areas and the transition from little to more snow should be avoided. Whumpfing collapsing sounds when stepping on the snowpack can indicate danger.

There is 5 to 10 cm of new/wind slab snow on a locally very varied snow surface. There are areas with little snow next to considerable snowdrift accumulations. The older snowdrift accumulations have been transformed in places to build up and are soft, in places hard as a board. The old snowpack consists of crusts with faceted crystals in between and deep rime. A break usually occurs around the uppermost crust. The total snow depth is well below average.

Tuesday will bring mostly friendly mountain weather. The sun will shine frequently, especially in the morning, but as the day progresses, high and medium-high cloud fields will increasingly cloud the sky. Visibility is good, but can become quite diffuse in the afternoon. In the high altitudes of the Hohe Tauern, there will be a lively southerly foehn with gusts of up to 50 km/h, otherwise the wind will be rather light. Temperatures will rise from -5 to 1 degree at 2000 metres and from -11 to -5 degrees at 3000 metres.

Avalanche risk increases on Wednesday with stormy southerly foehn and some new fallen snow.