Chiemgau Alps East

The snowpack is thoroughly moist up to intermediate altitudes, i.e., wet and glide snow avalanches can release spontaneously.

The snowpack is thoroughly moist up to intermediate altitudes, i.e., wet and glide snow avalanches can release spontaneously.

Avalanche danger is moderate. Main problem: wet snow. Due to mild temperatures and solar radiation wet loose snow and slab avalanches can release naturally on steep rocky slopes in all aspects. Glide snow avalanches can also release on smooth steep grass-covered slopes. The avalanches are mostly small to medium-sized. At higher altitudes, small snowdrift accumulations are triggerable in steep terrain in particular by large additional loading. If avalanches fracture down to more deeply embedded layers they can also grow to large size in very isolated cases.

Following rain and mild temperatures the snowpack is in many places thoroughly moist down to deep layers. It is often also wet down to the ground which promotes gliding of the snow masses. A thin superficial melt-freeze crust can form on Thursday night. Weak intermediate layers are partly still embedded in the snowpack in the vicinity of snowdrift accumulations and locally faceted crystals are found underneath a melt-freeze crust. The weak layer becomes more pronounced with ascending altitude and in places with little snow it can be dangerously close to the upper surface.

With cooler temperatures on Saturday the danger of wet avalanches will slightly recede.