Allgäu Alps West

Naturally triggered avalanches expected, esp. during the night

Nocturnal hours: Stormy winds, heavy snowfall, snowfall level dropping to 1000-1200. Saturday daytime: Continuing storm and heavy, persistent snowfall, lots of snow is expected in the morning, then slackening off. Daytime snow will not be as much. In the afternoon the snow showers will come to an end. At 2000 m: -4 to -1 degree. Stormy W/NW winds including stormy gusts of 100 km/hr at high alpine altitudes.

Naturally triggered avalanches expected, esp. during the night

Avalanche danger above the timberline is high, below that altitude danger is considerable. The fresh snow and wide-ranging snowdrift accumulations are prone to triggering. In classic starting zones they can grow to very large size in some cases, even place exposed transportation routes at risk. Danger zones occur in all aspects, increase with ascending altitude in both size and frequency. Particularly on steep smooth slopes in all aspects, medium-sized glide-snow avalanches are possible below 2400 m.

As of midday the snowfall intensified again. It is expected to persist until Saturday morning and, all in all, leave great masses of fresh snow behind, esp. in the barrier cloud regions. over the last 24 hours in the Allgäu Alps, on Tannberg, in Lechquellen, in Verwall and on the Arlberg there has been 50 to 80 cm of fresh snow registered; in the Silvretta 50 cm, in the Rätikon 40 cm, in Bregenzerwald 30 cm. Persistent stormy W/NW winds with high-speed gusts have massive transported the fresh snow and loose old snow, crests and ridges are blown bare. Where the surfaces are covered the fresh snow and drifts are prone to triggering. In addition, inside the fresh snow and drifts are weak layers. At intermediate altitudes the snowpack is often moist down to the ground. The weight of the fresh snow is reactivating the gliding snow problem.

On Sunday, still strong winds with light intermittent snowfall. Snowfall level will ascend to nearly 2000 m and more. The avalanche situation will begin to calm starting on Saturday afternoon.