Weisseck, Muhr Valley

Caution urged towards trigger-sensitive snowdrift masses, also in zones distant from ridgelines.

Caution urged towards trigger-sensitive snowdrift masses, also in zones distant from ridgelines.

Avalanche danger above 2000m is moderate, below that altitude danger is low. Due to strong winds from varying directions, snowdrift accumulations are being generated, thereby making avalanche prone locations in all aspects, including distant from ridgelines, which are extremely prone to triggering and which can trigger a medium-sized slab avalanche even be minimum additional loading. Moreover, in high alpine terrain on purely shady slopes (NW-NE) slab avalanches can be triggered in the old snow and reach medium size. In general, there is still little snow on the ground, danger zones in outlying terrain are often only minimally blanketed by fresh snow.

In wind-protected zones there is very loosely-packed fresh snow on the surface which is being transported by intensifying winds. During the daytime hours, fresh snowdrift accumulations are being generated and deposited top of loosely-packed snowpack surfaces. On shady slopes, blanketed surface hoar can in isolated cases serve as a weak layer. In gullies and bowls in high and high altitude spots, generally hardened layers consisting of melt-freeze crusts form the basis of the snowpack fundament (September snow). Faceted, often trigger-sensitive intermediate layers between this base and the bonded snow from November often weaken the layering. Below 1800m the fresh snow fell by and large on bare ground.

During the nocturnal hours, heavy cloud cover from the west will spread. At high altitudes in the Tauern, southerly winds can reach maximum velocities of 90 km/hr in the latter part of the night, and temperatures will rise due to winds: at 2000m, rising to 1 degree, at 3000m to about -4 degrees C. In early morning and in later morning hours, intensifying W/NW winds (reaching peaks of 90 km/hr at high altitudes) will bring in heavy cloud cover, rain showers and snow showers will pass through. To start with, rainfall is possible up to about 2000m, during the course of the day the snowfall level will descend and lower temperatures will prevail at all altitudes. In the afternoon, extended interims of precipitation are anticipated, in the evening the snow showers will increase again.

Variable weather conditions and a new round of precipitation will raise avalanche danger a notch.