Weisseck, Muhr Valley

Prone to triggering fresh wind slab.

Prone to triggering fresh wind slab.

The avalanche danger is moderate above 2200 metres and low below. Storms from the northwest have been depositing fresh wind slab snow on an unfavourably built-up old snow surface for several days. From around 2200 metres, avalanches can be triggered by individuals in some places and occasionally become medium-sized. There is a risk of burial in particular near terrain traps, i.e. in areas adjacent to the ridgeline, crest or summit. The snow packs are usually easily recognisable.

The snow cover, snowpack is highly variable. On the surface, in leeward areas, there is a succession of fresh drift snow layers on the melt-freeze crust of the old snow surface. Fractures are most possible here, the drift snow layers are rather poorly connected to each other and to the melt-freeze crust. Underneath, there is usually edgy snow with no binding. Due to the overall heavily built-up transformed snow cover, the potential for fracture propagation in the old snowpack is generally low. The snow depth is well below average at all altitudes.

Traces of new fallen snow are possible in the night to Thursday. The wind is still blowing strongly in the high altitudes of the Hohe Tauern (peaks around 80 km/h) and will only subside in the morning hours. On Thursday, residual clouds will soon clear and it will be mostly sunny. High cloud fields will cloud the sky at times. The westerly winds will be much weaker than the day before, peaking at around 60 km/h at high altitudes. Temperatures will continue to rise, from -8 to -4 degrees at 2000 metres and from -14 to -9 degrees at 3000 metres.

The avalanche danger will remain moderate at high altitudes on Friday.