Pongau Grass Mountains

Freshly generated snowdrifts prone to triggering above timberline

On Friday, the next warm front will pass through bringing heavy precipitation. Wet snow problem at low and intermediate altitudes, a treacherous slab situation at high altitudes.

Freshly generated snowdrifts prone to triggering above timberline

Avalanche danger is MODERATE. Fresh snowdrifts on NW/N/S facing slopes can be triggererd by 1 person and reach medium size. Also in gullies in other aspects the drifts are trigger-prone. At low and intermediate altitudes, in addition, small wet loose-snow avalanches are expected, either triggering naturally or artificially. Latent danger of small-to-medium glide-snow avalanches persists.

On top of the snowfall at the start of the week, an additional 10-20 cm of frsh snow is expected amid heavy wind impact from W/N. The base is moistened due to rainfall and higher temperatures. Weak layer for a slab is a soft layer of faceted crystals beneath a near-surface crust in the old snow (rain-ice crust or wind crust or melt-freeze crust) but fractures inside the freshly generated drifts are also possible. Lower temperatures are helping the moist snowpack to regain its firmness. Reinforced gliding is being observed on steep grass-covered slopes.

Overnight there will be snowfall accompanied by strong-to-stormy W/NW winds, the snowfall level dropping from 1700 down to 1000 m. At 1500 m: +2 degrees; at 2000 m: -1 degree. On Thursday the peaks will be shrouded in clouds, reduced visibility, frequent snowfall (often heavy), but also interims. At 1500 m: -1 degree; at 2000 m: -2 degrees. The W/NW winds will be blowing at 40-60 km/hr.