Totes Gebirge South

Swiftly increasing danger zones above treeline due to fresh, poorly bonded snowdrifts

Swiftly increasing danger zones above treeline due to fresh, poorly bonded snowdrifts

With ascending altitude, swift increase in avalanche prone locations and danger level from LOW to CONSIDERABLE. Main wind-loaded zones of fresh drifts are on east and south-facing slopes. Even minimum additional loading can trigger a slab avalanche. On all steep slopes where the ground is smooth, in addition, increased glide-snow avalanche activity will be observed, particularly on sunny slopes. On shady slopes at high altitudes, the persistent weak layer continues to be a threat, most recently in the form of covered surface hoar or faceted crystals beneath melt-freeze crusts. In exposed terrain, e.g. windblown gullies, it is hard and icy: danger of being forced to take a fall.

At high altitudes the hardened, melt-freeze encrusted old snowpack surface has been windblown, in many places covered by a thin, loose layer of snowdrift which is bonded poorly with the old snow. At lower altitudes in forested regions the drifted powder has accumulated. The fresh snow will now be deposited on these snow masses on both days, most often as snowdrifts. They do not bond well with the layers atop of which they are deposited. Crests and ridges will be further windblown, the fresh snow transported to lower lying zones.

After the cold front and its precipitation have passed through the weather will change. The air current will shift to northwesterl, the moist-cold air masses will bring us lots of fresh snow in the northern barrier cloud regions by Wednesday. Already on Monday night snowfall will set in along the Northern Alps and Niedere Tauern, persist until at least Tuesday midday. Graupel is also possible in this precipitation. After a brief interim from an intermediate high in the afternoon with brief intervals of brightness, on Tuesday night the snowfall will set in again and continue until Wednesday midday, as the snowfall level also ascends somewhat. By Wednesday between Dachstein and Totes Gebirge there could be as much as 45 cm of fresh snow; in the Hochschwab region about 30 cm. The precipitation will be accompanied by stormy NW winds. Temperatures at Tuesday at 2000 m: -9 degrees; at 1500 m: -5 degrees. The southern regions will benefit from all this, northerly foehn wind will disperse the clouds on both days, it will be sunny. Only over the Niedere Tauern will some clouds bring brief showers further south. Temperatures at all altitudes will be about 2 degrees higher than on the northern flank of the Alps.

With further fresh snow in combination with stormy winds, avalanche danger will increase also at lower altitudes.