Hochschwab Mountains

Low avalanche danger, but persistent weak layer problems in the northern and eastern exposures!

Low avalanche danger, but persistent weak layer problems in the northern and eastern exposures!

The avalanche risk is low. In the northern and eastern exposures, there is still a persistent weak layer problem at altitudes above the tree line. In steep terrain, small slab avalanches can be triggered in a few places by individual winter sports enthusiasts. Avalanche prone locations are mainly at the entrance to on shady slopes and bowls as well as behind terrain edges. In general, the risk of being swept away, falling and injury outweighs the risk of burial. However, be careful in the area of terrain traps.

There is still significantly less snow than average. A thin, partly bound snowpack covers a very variable and mostly hard old snowpack. There is significantly more snow in shady gullies and bowls than on sunny slopes, some of which are partly bare up to 2000 metres. In the northern and eastern exposures, the snowpack is still weakened by layers with faceted crystals and floating snow (persistent weak layer problem!).

In the northern Alps and generally at altitudes above 1500 metres, the night will be cloudless. Clouds will gather from the south on Tuesday. While the peaks of the western Northern Alps will remain fog-free, visibility will deteriorate from Hochschwab to Veitsch. However, there will be no precipitation. The temperature at an altitude of 2000 metres will be between -8 and -1 degrees. The temperature at an altitude of 1500 metres will be between -4 and 2 degrees. Brisk to stormy winds with gusts between 40 and 60 km/h from south to south-west.

An Italian low will bring snowfall and rain to the south on Wednesday. The snowfall level will be between 800 and 1500 metres above sea level. There will be hardly any precipitation on the northern side of the Alps. The southerly wind will ease in the west. No change in the avalanche danger is expected.