Werdenfels Alps

Isolated avalanche prone locations in extremely steep terrain

Sunday will see the onset of springtime conditions including a slight increase of the avalanche danger during the course of the day. A weak cold front will arrive in the Bavarian Alps by Monday; avalanche danger levels are not expected to change significantly.

Isolated avalanche prone locations in extremely steep terrain

Avalanche danger is low. Main problem: wet snow. As a consequence of solar radiation, it is possible that isolated small loose snow avalanches trigger during the course of the day, in particular in steep rocky terrain that has not yet discharged.At intermediate altitude, glide snow avalanches can release spontaneously anytime in sparsely wooded forests or on smooth grass-covered slopes that have not yet discharged. Slopes with glide cracks should be avoided. Avalanches attain medium size. At high altitude older snowdrifts are now only triggerable by large additional loading. A few avalanche prone locations are found in shady extremely steep terrain as well as in gullies filled with wind-transported snow. Slab avalanches that are triggered can grow to medium size.

Following a night with clear skies, the snowpack is mostly covered by a load-bearing crust in the morning. Mild temperatures and solar radiation soften the snowpack surface again on the sunny side. This can go hand in hand with a loss of firmness. At intermediate altitudes the snowpack is wet down to the ground and has strongly receded. In isolated locations older snowdrifts persist at high altitude that are still prone to triggering. Close to the ground, faceted crystals partly still persist on shady slopes above 2200 m. Below 1400 m, there is hardly any snow on the ground.