Pongau Grass Mountains

Fresh wind slab prone to triggering

Fresh wind slab prone to triggering

The avalanche risk is moderate. Above the tree line, the fresh wind slab can be triggered as a slab in some places even with a small additional load. Avalanches can reach medium size. There are avalanche prone locations both adjacent to ridgelines and distant from ridgelines, as well as in steep gullies and in forest aisles. Drift snow areas are sometimes covered with snow and are difficult to recognise.

Last week's new and wind-slab snow has settled and has already crusted again on sunny slopes up to over 2000 metres. There is up to 30 cm of new fallen snow in windless areas, while exposed areas are heavily blown and snowdrift accumulations are correspondingly thick. Fractures are possible in particular in the fresh windslab snow, but in some cases also in the old snowpack, in which faceted crystals (sometimes on crusts) and deep frost weaken the structure both near the surface and deeper inside. This mainly affects shady high altitudes and generally high alpine locations.

Snow showers will pass through during the night with brisk to strong winds from the northwest. Tomorrow, Tuesday, the mountains will often be covered in clouds and it will continue to snow, especially in the morning. Together with the previous night's precipitation, 10 to 30 cm of new fallen snow is expected at higher altitudes, with a gradient from the north to the Niedere Tauern. The showers will become less frequent in the afternoon, with some clearing in between. Brisk to strong north-westerly winds. Temperatures at 2000 metres around -9 degrees.

Weakening snowfall and wind lead to a slow improvement.