Allgäu Alps Central

Caution in zones where there are glide cracks!

Caution in zones where there are glide cracks!

Moderate avalanche danger prevails. Wet snow is the main problem. Avalanches of medium size can trigger naturally in steep rocky terrain and on smooth grass-covered slopes where there is enough snow on the ground and where no avalanches have yet discharged. The problem of wet glide-snow and loose-snow avalanches will intensify somewhat over the next few days. In addition, snowdrift accumulations require caution. Avalanche prone locations are found above 2000 m in steepridgeline terrain in NW/E/S aspects. Slab avalanches can be triggered even by the additional loading of one single skier and then grow to medium size on steep shady slopes at high altitudes, particularly when the lower-down layers of the snowpack are also released.

As a result of higher temperatures, a bit of rainfall and lack of nocturnal outgoing radiation the snowpack at intermediate altitudes will become moist on the surface. Into glide cracks which are open, water will seep. At high altitudes fresh snowdrift accumulations will be generated from the small amount of precipitation and strong westerly winds. They will be deposited on top of an irregularly melt-freeze encrusted and compact old snowpack surface. In shady, wind-protected terrain at high altitudes the snowdrifts will be deposited on loose layers of snow in some places. Beneath the wind-crusts and melt-freeze crusts, layers of expansively metamorphosed (faceted) crystals have formed which are prone to triggering.

Weather in the next few days will be instable and wet. Only minor amounts of precipitation are expected, so the avalanche danger will not change significantly to begin with.